ABSTRACT
Synthesizing naturally active scaffolds with the desired properties is an important factor for the use of tissue engineering at the clinical level. For the past few years, hydrogels have gained significant attention in the field of tissue scaffolds due to their inimitable compositional and structural properties. They also possess very similar properties to the natural extracellular matrix, thus facilitating the desired framework needed for cellular proliferation and viability. The unique chemical properties of synthetic and natural hydrogel scaffolds allow them to be adapted or controlled to achieve the desired shape, porosity, surface morphology, and size and therefore provide better opportunities to overcome the various challenges in tissue engineering, e.g. tissue architecture, vascularization, or instantaneous seeding of multiple cells of different origin. This chapter provides a basic overview of the types of hydrogels, the method of hydrogel matric preparation, and the applications of hydrogels in tissue engineering along with challenges and future aspects for clinical utility.
