Hydrogels in tissue engineering: scope and applications

Hydrogels have been employed as an emerging and promising tool in tissue engineering. They find application in the interdisciplinary field that applies the basic principles of biology and engineering and act as a substitute for conventional tissue engineering materials having improved and restored tissue function. This review article discusses the important characteristic properties of polymers used for the synthesis of hydrogels, which find application in tissue engineering. Furthermore, this article also reviews the recent advances and development in hydrogels used for corneal, cartilage, skin, bone and cardiac tissue for tissue engineering applications. This article highlights the future prospects and scope of hydrogels in tissue engineering.