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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
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An Injectable and Drug-loaded Supramolecular Hydrogel for Local Catheter Injection into the Pig Heart
Published on: June 7, 2015
Hydrogels loaded with different substances for treating heart failure: a promising therapy
Ran Meng1,2, Weiqiang Xiao1,2, Shisen Liang1,2
1Department of Heart Center, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
|June 19, 2026
Summary
Injectable hydrogels show promise for treating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by delivering therapeutic agents directly to damaged heart tissue. These biomaterials facilitate cardiac repair and combat heart failure following myocardial infarction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes significant cardiomyocyte death, leading to heart failure and arrhythmias in millions globally.
- Current treatments for AMI, including reperfusion, do not fully address adverse cardiac remodeling and subsequent heart failure.
- Excessive fibrosis post-AMI impairs cardiac function, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the progression of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease to myocardial infarction and injury.
- To highlight the advantages of hydrogels as a superior therapeutic strategy for myocardial infarction.
- To review various therapeutic agents and hydrogel formulations for treating myocardial injury.
Main Methods:
- Review of mechanisms underlying myocardial infarction progression and hydrogel-based therapies.
- Discussion of bioactive molecules, drugs, cells, exosomes (exos), and miRNA for myocardial repair.
- Analysis of experimental data on therapeutic agent-loaded hydrogels for myocardial injury.
Main Results:
- Hydrogels offer biocompatibility, degradability, and injectability for targeted delivery of therapeutics to the myocardium.
- Various agents, including exosomes and miRNA, delivered via hydrogels show potential for promoting cardiac repair.
- Therapeutic agent-loaded hydrogels demonstrate experimental efficacy in treating myocardial injury.
Conclusions:
- Injectable hydrogels represent a promising therapeutic strategy for acute myocardial infarction and heart failure.
- Further research into hydrogel formulations is crucial for overcoming existing challenges and advancing treatment prospects.
- Hydrogel-based delivery systems can target damaged myocardium to promote regeneration and improve cardiac function post-MI.
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