Biomedical applications of gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels

Abstract

Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) has attracted the widespread interest of researchers because of its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and moldability. Various structures have been constructed from GelMA hydrogel, including 3D scaffold, injectable gel, bio-printed scaffold, and electrospun fibrous membrane via precise fabrication methods such as light-induced crosslinking, extrusion 3D printing, electrospinning, or microfluidics. Due to its unique characteristics and simple preparation, GelMA hydrogel demonstrates superior performance and promising potential in a broad range of biomedical applications involving wound healing, drug delivery, biosensing, and tissue regeneration. This review integrates sufficient research works on GelMA hydrogels in the regeneration of tissues such as skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, blood vessel, and cardiovascular system, in addition to applications in drug delivery, organ-on-a-chip, and biosensing, providing a critical review of present work and offering future implications.