Gelatin-Based Multifunctional Hydrogels for Sports Injury Repair: Musculoskeletal and Nervous System Perspectives.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Sports Medicine
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Sports injuries, particularly musculoskeletal and neurological, pose a global health challenge due to high incidence and slow recovery.
• Current treatments often fail to achieve complete tissue regeneration, highlighting the need for advanced therapeutic strategies.
• Gelatin, a collagen derivative, presents unique properties like cell adhesion and modifiability, making it suitable for biomimetic repair scaffolds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the design principles and recent advancements in gelatin-based multifunctional hydrogels for sports medicine applications.
• To analyze the structural and engineering advantages of these hydrogels.
• To summarize strategies for incorporating modules like conductivity, antibacterial activity, self-healing, stimulus responsiveness, and tissue adhesion.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on gelatin-based hydrogels in sports medicine.
• Analysis of hydrogel structure, engineering advantages, and functional modules.
• Correlation of hydrogel properties with specific injury types (bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, muscle, nerve).

Main Results:

• Gelatin hydrogels can be engineered with various functional modules to address specific sports injury needs.
• These hydrogels demonstrate potential in modulating the immune microenvironment, regulating electrophysiology, and promoting interfacial regeneration.
• The review links specific hydrogel functionalities to improved outcomes for bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, skeletal muscle, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve injuries.

Conclusions:

• Gelatin-based multifunctional hydrogels represent a promising platform for precise treatment of diverse sports injuries.
• These advanced biomaterials offer significant clinical and translational value in tissue regeneration and functional recovery.
• Integrating materials science and sports rehabilitation insights can drive precision treatments for sports-related trauma.