OPEN Citation: Bone Research (2017) 5, 17014; doi:10.1038/boneres.2017.

14
www.nature.com/boneres

REVIEW ARTICLE

Injectable hydrogels for cartilage and bone tissue

engineering
Mei Liu1,*, Xin Zeng2,*, Chao Ma1, Huan Yi1, Zeeshan Ali3,4, Xianbo Mou1, Song Li5, Yan Deng1,5 and
Nongyue He1,5

Tissue engineering has become a promising strategy for repairing damaged cartilage and bone tissue. Among
the scaffolds for tissue-engineering applications, injectable hydrogels have demonstrated great potential for
use as three-dimensional cell culture scaffolds in cartilage and bone tissue engineering, owing to their high
water content, similarity to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM), porous framework for cell transplantation
and proliferation, minimal invasive properties, and ability to match irregular defects. In this review, we
describe the selection of appropriate biomaterials and fabrication methods to prepare novel injectable
hydrogels for cartilage and bone tissue engineering. In addition, the biology of cartilage and the bony ECM is
also summarized. Finally, future perspectives for injectable hydrogels in cartilage and bone tissue
engineering are discussed.
Bone Research (2017) 5, 17014; doi:10.1038/boneres.2017.14; published online: 30 May 2017

INTRODUCTION clinical interest for patients with cartilage lesions and bone
Cartilage and subchondral bone damage can be caused defects.
by a variety of conditions, such as trauma, arthritis, and Tissue engineering, which emerged in the early 1990s,
sports-related injuries.1–4 It has been reported that 60% of has become one of the most commonly used approaches
patients examined by knee arthroscopy exhibit cartilage for cartilage and bone tissue reconstruction and regen-
damage, and ~ 15% of people over 60 years old have eration.19–22 Generally, an engineered tissue is composed
some clinical symptoms of such damage.5–6 In particular, of a scaffold, cells, and necessary growth factors.23–24
the self-healing of damaged cartilage is limited, owing to To fully reconstruct the damaged cartilage and bone
its lack of vascularization, innervation, lymphatic networks, tissue, it is important to synthesize biocompatible and
and progenitor cells.6–12 For bone tissue, despite its high biodegradable scaffolds that mimic the native features of
vascularization, commonly used techniques for repair, such the specific tissue, successfully transport cells and growth
as autografting and allografting, are limited because of factors to the damaged tissue, and provide support to the
risks of donor-site morbidity, potential infection, and a high newly formed tissue until it matures.25 Ideally, the scaffolds
nonunion rate with host tissues.13–17 Bone defects are one of both cartilage and bone tissue engineering should be
of the leading causes of morbidity and disability in elderly porous, highly biocompatible, nontoxic, and capable of
patients.18 Medical restoration of the damaged cartilage promoting cell differentiation and new tissue formation;
and bone tissue remains to be achieved. Therefore, they should also have stable mechanical properties,
developing a method to perfectly and permanently repair degrade in response to the formation of new tissue,
the damaged cartilage and bone tissue is of significant facilitate the diffusion of nutrients and metabolites, adhere

1
State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, PR China; 2Nanjing
Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, PR China; 3School of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen,
PR China; 4School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, PR China and 5Hunan Key Laboratory of Green
Chemistry and Application of Biological Nanotechnology, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, PR China
Correspondence: Yan Deng (hndengyan@126.com) or Nongyue He (nyhe1958@163.com)
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
Received: 25 November 2016; Revised: 8 January 2017; Accepted: 10 January 2017
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exploited to prepare injectable hydrogels; these biomater-

ials include chitosan,43 collagen or gelatin,48–49 alginate,50
hyaluronic acid,51 heparin,52 chondroitin sulfate,53 poly
(ethylene glycol) (PEG),54 and poly(vinyl alcohol).55 Inject-
able hydrogels can be fabricated through both physical
and chemical methods. Physically injectable hydrogels are
spontaneously formed by weak secondary forces, whereas
chemical hydrogels are usually formed by covalently
cross-linking.56–58 On the basis of the concrete fabrica-
tion methods, injectable hydrogels can be classified as
enzymatically cross-linked hydrogels,59 photo-cross-linked
hydrogels,60 Schiff base cross-linked hydrogels,61 Michael
addition-mediated hydrogels,62 click chemistry-mediated
hydrogels,44,63 ion-sensitive hydrogels,64 pH-sensitive hydro-
gels,65 and temperature-sensitive hydrogels.66–67 Although
injectable hydrogels prepared by different methods
have been investigated for decades, there are scarcely
any perfect injectable hydrogels that have been
utilized in clinical regenerative medicine. Therefore, the
Figure 1. Schematic illustration of approaches to make injectable development of an excellent injectable hydrogel for
hydrogels for cartilage- and bone tissue-engineering applications. cartilage- and bone tissue-engineering applications is
urgently needed. In this review, various biomaterials and
fabrication methods for developing injectable hydrogels
and integrate with the surrounding native tissue, and for cartilage- and bone tissue-engineering applications are
properly fill the injured site.3,24,26–28 discussed.
Since the 1990s, a variety of biomaterials have been Even though many journal articles and reviews on
investigated and tested for cartilage- and bone tissue- injectable hydrogels for tissue engineering have been
engineering applications.29–38 Among all the biomaterials, published, this is the first review that particularly focuses
hydrogels have received widespread interest, particularly on both biomaterials and fabrication methods for devel-
for their use as scaffolds in cartilage and bone tissue oping novel injectable hydrogels, specifically for use in
engineering, owing to their structural similarity to the cartilage and bone tissue engineering. In this review, we
extracellular matrix (ECM) and their porous framework, provide a guide for selecting an appropriate biomaterial
which enables cell transplantation and proliferation.39 and fabrication method to prepare such injectable
Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) cross-linked networks hydrogels. In addition, the biology of cartilage and the
formed by hydrophilic homopolymers, copolymers, or bony ECM is also discussed. Finally, perspectives on future
macromers that swell in aqueous solution and provide an injectable hydrogels for cartilage and bone tissue engi-
appropriate microenvironment similar to the ECM, thus neering are also discussed.
facilitating the migration, adhesion, proliferation, and
differentiation of chondrocytes and osteoprogenitor cells
to osteoblasts, and efficiently delivering nutrients and THE BIOLOGY OF CARTILAGE AND THE BONY ECM
growth factors.39–42 Recently, injectable hydrogels have In cartilage and bone tissue engineering, detailed under-
attracted the attention of biomaterials scientists for carti- standing of the biology of cartilage and the bony
lage- and bone tissue-engineering applications, because ECM is crucial in realizing successful cartilage and
they can replace implantation surgery with a minimally bone tissue regeneration. Cartilage is a fiber-reinforced
invasive injection method and can form any desired composite material composed of chondrocytes surrou-
shape, to match irregular defects.3,43–47 The schematic nded by specialized ECM consisting of structural and
describing injectable hydrogels for cartilage- and bone functional proteins, glycoproteins, and glycosaminoglycans
tissue-engineering applications is illustrated in Figure 1. assembled in unique tissue-specific 3D microenvironment
Excellent biomaterials and appropriate fabrication meth- architectures.68–71 The composition and structure of carti-
ods play crucial roles in developing ideal injectable lage tissue are always depth-dependent (Figure 2) and can
hydrogels that can function as scaffolds for cartilage- be divided into four different zones on the basis of collagen
and bone tissue-engineering applications. A variety of fiber alignment and proteoglycan composition.72–74 From
biomaterials, both natural and synthetic, have been the superficial zone to the deep zone, the proteoglycan

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content gradually increases. In the superficial zone, the In contrast to cartilage tissue, bone is a highly vascular-
collagen fibers are aligned parallel to the surface. Collagen ized biomineralized connective tissue with high mechan-
fibers in the middle zone are unaligned and tangential to ical strength and structural complexity.57,75 Natural bone
the cartilage surface. In the deep zone, collagen fibers tissue has a distinct hierarchical structural organization at
are arranged radially. Finally, the collagen fibers in the the macrostructural, microstructural, and nanostructural
calcified zone tend to arborize with little organization and levels (Figure 3).76–77 At the macrostructure level, bone can
mineralization. be distinguished into cortical bone and cancellous bone.
At the microstructure level, the cortical bone is made up of
repeated units of osteon, whereas the cancellous bone is
composed of an interconnecting framework of trabeculae
complemented with bone marrow-filled free spaces. Each
osteon has 20–30 concentric layers of collagen fibers,
called lamellae, which surround the central canal and
contain various blood vessels and nerves. Finally, at the
nanostructure level, there are large amounts of collagen
fibers, calcium phosphate crystals, and non-collagenous
organic proteins, which are the main components of the
trabeculae and osteon units.76 The mechanical properties
of bone tissue strongly depend on the specific structure
and organization of the bony ECM.
This highly organized and complicated structure of the
cartilage and bone is essential to support its biological
functions. The composition of both cartilage and the bony
ECM is highly complex. Normally, the native cartilage ECM
is composed primarily of water, type II collagen,
proteoglycans, hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans, and
elastin.73,76,78–80 Unlike cartilage ECM, the bony ECM is
composed of oriented collagen I fibers and nanocrystals
Figure 2. Schematic illustration of depth-dependent architecture of of carbonated hydroxyapatite, and is complemented
cartilage tissue. From the superficial zone to the deep zone, the with a number of proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and
proteoglycan content gradually increases. In the superficial zone, the sialoproteins.81–82 All components of both cartilage and
collagen fibers are aligned parallel to the surface. Collagen fibers in the
the bony ECM, which are continuously synthesized,
middle zone are unaligned and tangential to the cartilage surface. In the
deep zone, collagen fibers are arranged radially. Finally, the collagen secreted, oriented, and modified by the chondrocytes or
fibers in the calcified zone tend to arborize with little organization and osteoblasts that they support, are essential for chondrocyte
mineralization.72 and osteoblast growth, development, maintenance, and

Figure 3. Schematic illustration of a distinct hierarchical structure of bone tissue. (a)At the macrostructural level, bone is composed of cortical bone
and cancellous bone. (b) At the microstructural level, the cortical bone is made up of repeated units of osteon, which is characterized by 20–30
concentric layers of collagen fibers, called lamellae. The lamellae surround the central canal and contain various blood vessels and nerves. (c) At the
nanostructural level, there are large numbers of collagen fibers, which are composed of periodic collagen fibrils and gaps between the collagen
molecules. The calcium phosphate crystals and non-collagenous organic proteins are embedded in these gaps between collagen molecules.76

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regulate the biological activities of the native cartilage hydroxyethyl cellulose. Systematic investigations of the
and bone tissue.57,83–84 Under physiological conditions, the viability, proliferation, and differentiation capacity of
ECM exists in a state of dynamic reciprocity with chon- encapsulated mesenchymal stem cells in the hydrogel
drocytes and osteoblasts, and provides a mechanical have indicated that this chitosan-based injectable
framework for supporting the cells.70 In addition, the ECM hydrogel has a high potential for cartilage tissue
and ECM-incorporated growth factors, together with engineering. To make stimuli-responsive injectable hydro-
cytokines, provide a number of functional cues that affect gels, chitosan is usually combined with various chemical
chondrocyte and osteoblast metabolism, and secretion. components. By combining chitosan–glycerophosphate
Moreover, the microenvironment provided by the ECM is with different concentrations of starch, Sá-Lima et al97
dynamic and regulated by factors, such as mechanical have successfully prepared a novel thermoresponsive
properties, pH, oxygen concentration, and hormonal chitosan–starch hydrogel that can be used as an
actions, that affect tissue homeostasis and possible injectable vehicle for cell delivery. Furthermore, Moreira
aberrations thereof.69,85–86 Eventually, the ECM not only et al98 have reported a bioactive thermogelling chitosan-
regulates cell adhesion, migration, growth, differentiation, based injectable hydrogel synthesized by combining
and apoptosis but also takes part in cytokine activity and chitosan, collagen, and bioactive glass nanoparticles.
intracellular signaling.84,86 The complexity of the ECM is Chitosan is insoluble in water, but it can be dissolved in
essential for specific function of the cartilage and bone acetic acid solution. Therefore, chitosan-based hydrogels
tissue, and plays an important role in keeping the phy- are obtained from chitosan–acetic acid solution, which
siological stability of the microenvironment. Thus, design requires tedious washing steps.99 To overcome such
and synthesis of novel biomaterials that imitate the natural shortcomings, water-soluble chitosan derivatives have
ECM are of great significance in cartilage and bone tissue been introduced. For example, Kamoun100 has prepared
engineering, and regenerative medicine. a new class of nontoxic, injectable, biodegradable
materials called N-succinyl chitosan-dialdehyde starch
hybrid hydrogels. These hydrogels have shorter gelation
INJECTABLE HYDROGELS PREPARED WITH DIFFERENT times, limited water uptake, little weight loss, and con-
BIOMATERIALS siderably tighter hydrogel structures, thus making them
Various biomaterials have been exploited for the fabrica- preferable scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering.
tion of injectable hydrogel scaffolds for cartilage tissue-
engineering applications, including natural biomaterials Collagen/gelatin-based injectable hydrogels. Collagen
and synthetic biomaterials. is the most abundant mammalian protein in the skin,
connective tissue, ligaments, bone, and cartilage of the
Natural biomaterial-based injectable hydrogels body.101–104 There are at least 19 types of collagen, such
Natural biomaterials have been widely investigated as type I, type II, type III, and type V.101 Recently, naturally
because of their perfect biocompatibility, biodegradabil- derived collagen has been widely used to construct
ity, and similarity to the ECM. Natural biomaterials recently collagen-based scaffolds for various biomedical applica-
investigated for use as injectable hydrogel prepar- tions, particularly tissue engineering, because it has the
ations include chitosan, collagen/gelatin, alginate, fibrin, favorable property of being weakly antigenic.8,49,105 Yuan
elastin, heparin, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic et al105 have combined type I and type II collagens to
acid.3,46,50,52–53,87–91 construct a favorable injectable hydrogel whose com-
pressive modulus can be regulated by changing the type
Chitosan-based injectable hydrogels. Chitosan is a linear I collagen content in the hydrogel. The chondrocytes
polysaccharide that is derived from natural chitin, which is embedded in the hydrogel maintain their natural
composed of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine.92–95 morphology and secrete cartilage-specific ECM.
Recently, chitosan has become increasingly attractive as Funayamaet al106 have developed an injectable type II
an injectable hydrogel for cartilage repair, owing to its collagen hydrogel scaffold and have embedded chon-
structural similarity to cartilage glycosaminoglycan.43,93,96 drocytes in the collagen-based hydrogel and injected it
Chen et al48 have fabricated a tough chitosan–gelatin into the damaged rabbit cartilage without a periosteal
hydrogel via an in situ precipitation method. This graft. At 8 weeks after the injection, favorable hyaline
in situ formed hydrogel exhibits improved mechanical cartilage regeneration with good chondrocyte morphol-
properties, and is biodegradable and biocompatible. ogy was observed, and significant differences between
Naderi-Meshkinet al96 have developed a chitosan- the transplanted and control groups were observed after
based injectable hydrogel via the combination of 24 weeks. Furthermore, collagen-based injectable hydro-
chitosan, glycerol phosphate, and the cross-linking agent gels can be prepared by integrating collagen with other

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biomaterials. For example, Kontturiet al107 have devel- glycol chitosan. Chondrocytes encapsulated in the
oped an injectable, in situ forming type II collagen/ hydrogel show excellent proliferation and increased
hyaluronic acid hydrogel for cartilage tissue engineering. deposition of cartilaginous ECM; considering these results,
After encapsulation of chondrocytes and chondrogenic this hydrogel has great potential for cartilage tissue repair.
growth factor transforming growth factor-β1 into the To overcome its poor mechanical properties, fast
hydrogel, the cell viability and proliferation, morphology, degradation, and hydrolytic reactions, hyaluronic acid is
glycosaminoglycan production, and gene expression usually modified or combined with other biomaterials for
have been investigated. This hydrogel is able to practical applications.113,122 Palumbo et al123 have
maintain chondrocyte viability and characteristics, and designed an in situ forming hydrogel by the addition of
it maybe a potential injectable scaffold for cartilage tissue divinyl sulfone-functionalized inulin to two types of amino-
engineering. functionalized hyaluronic acid derivatives, specifically
Gelatin is a natural protein derived from the degrada- pendant ethylenediamino and amino/octadecyl hyaluro-
tion of collagen with high biocompatibility and biode- nic acids. The properties of the hydrogel indicate that the
gradability in physiological environments.108–109 Recently, presence of pendant C18 chains improves the mechan-
use of gelatin to prepare injectable hydrogels has ical performances of hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels
received popularity. Oh et al110 have designed and and decreases their susceptibility to hyaluronidase hydro-
synthesized an interconnected, double thermoresponsive lysis. Furthermore, encapsulated bovine chondrocytes in
macroporous gelatin-based injectable hydrogel by stabi- the hydrogel result in high viability and proliferation.
lizing oil-in-water high internal phase emulsions, with Domingue et al124 have used cellulose nanocrystals as
gelatin-graft-poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide). In this inject- nanofillers to develop a new class of reinforced hyaluronic
able hydrogel, gelatin was chosen as the backbone of acid-based injectable hydrogels, which comprise adipic
the amphiphilic graft copolymer to form high internal aciddihydrazide-modified hyaluronic acid and aldehyde-
phase emulsions. The double thermoresponsive properties modified hyaluronic acid reinforced by the aldehyde-
of the hydrogel promote proliferation and penetrate modified cellulose nanocrystals. The biological perfor-
fibroblasts during cell seeding. Geng et al111 have mance of the developed hydrogel has been evaluated
prepared a gelatin-based injectable hydrogel from on the basis of the incorporation of human adipose-
oxidized dextran, amino gelatin, and 4-arm PEG-acrylate derived stem cells. The hydrogel has been found to
through a two-step process. The attachment and spread- possess preeminent cell-supportive properties and
ing of preosteoblasts, as well as the encapsulated cell to spread well within the volume of gels, in addition to
spreading and proliferation within the hydrogel indicate exhibiting pronounced proliferative activity.
that the injectable hydrogel possesses favorable mechan-
ical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Fibrin-based injectable hydrogels. Fibrin, which is
regarded as a favorable cell-transplantation matrix that
Hyaluronic acid-based injectable hydrogels. Hyaluronic can enhance cell attachment, proliferation, differentia-
acid, which interacts with chondrocytes through surface tion, and migration in a 3D scaffold, is a natural fibrous
receptors such as CD44 and RHAMM,112–114 is a linear protein involved in blood clotting.125–127 In previous
polysaccharide in the adult cartilage ECM and is studies, fibrin, alone or in combination with other materials,
composed of disaccharide units of glucuronic acid and has been used to synthesize scaffolds for cartilage tissue-
N-acetylglucosamine.115–117 Hyaluronic acid plays very engineering applications.128–131 Benavides et al132 have
important roles in cartilage and limb bud formation, applied fibrin-based hydrogels, together with PEG and
mesenchymal cell condensation, chondrocyte matrix human amniotic fluid-derived stem cells, to develop a
deposition, and chondrogenic differentiation.73,118–119 novel injectable hydrogel system that is able to induce a
Therefore, hyaluronic acid is regarded as an ideal fibrin-driven angiogenic host response and promote in situ
biomaterial for cartilage tissue repair. Yu et al120 have amniotic fluid-derived stem cell-derived neovasculariza-
fabricated an injectable hyaluronic acid/PEG hydrogel tion. Almeida et al133 have developed an injectable,
with excellent mechanical properties for cartilage tissue cartilaginous ECM microparticle-functionalized fibrin-
engineering. Cells encapsulated in the hydrogel in situ based hydrogel, which transforms growth factor trans-
demonstrate high metabolic viability and proliferation. In forming growth factor-β3 into a putative therapeutic for
addition, taking advantage of its biocompatibility, struc- articular cartilage regeneration. The capacity of the
tural similarity to glycosaminoglycan, and ready formation hydrogel to promote chondrogenes is of freshly isolated
of ionic complexes of chitosan, Park et al121 have stromal cells in vivo suggests that the hydrogel can induce
successfully fabricated an injectable chitosan–hyaluronic cartilage formation and has the potential for cartilage
acid hydrogel utilizing hyaluronic acid and methacrylated repair, and thus may have the potential to overcome

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several current challenges related to cartilage tissue degradation profile, compressive strength, and elastic
engineering. In addition, because alginate microbeads module have indicated that alginate/O-carboxymethyl
are stable and biocompatible, this hydrogel has been chitosan forms a preferable blend for tissue-engineering
widely applied among injectable hydrogel systems for applications.
tissue regeneration.125 Hwang et al134 have developed a
novel hybrid hydrogel system using alginate particles and Heparin-based injectable hydrogels. Heparin, which is
a fibrin matrix. In this hydrogel, the introduction of alginate best known for its anticoagulant properties, is a negatively
particles into a fibrin matrix enhances cellular mobility and charged, highly sulfated, linear polysaccharide com-
proliferation, volume retention, and vascularization in vivo, posed of repeating disaccharide units of 1,4-linked uronic
thus making the injectable hybrid system a desirable acid and glucosamine residues.145–148 Owing to its
approach for cartilage tissue-engineering applications. negatively charged functional groups, heparin can inter-
act with proteins, including ECM proteins, growth factors,
Alginate-based injectable hydrogels. Alginate, which and chemokines, which plays important roles in many
consists of guluronic and mannuronic acids, is a polysaccharide biological processes, such as triggering multiple down-
extracted from brown algae (Phaeophyceae).50,135–136 stream signaling pathways and controlling cellular pro-
Alginate has become one of the most commonly used liferation, and differentiation.149–154 As a result, heparin
biomaterials in injectable hydrogel preparation for carti- has widely been used for the fabrication of injectable
lage tissue-engineering applications, owing to its favor- hydrogels that control the delivery of growth factors in
able scaffold forming, non-immunogenicity, and non- tissues, especially during cartilage tissue repair.153,155–158
toxicity.135,137–139 For example, Balakrishnan et al140 have For example, Jin et al159 have used horseradish perox-
produced a rapidly gelling, oxidized alginate-based idase (HRP)-mediated co-cross-linking to form dextran–
injectable hydrogel by self-cross-linking periodate- tyramine (Dex–TA) and heparin–tyramine injectable
oxidized alginate and gelatin in the presence of borax. hydrogel conjugates whose swelling and mechanical
The hydrogel integrates well with the cartilage tissue in properties can be controlled for cartilage tissue-
addition to exhibiting negligible inflammatory and oxida- engineering applications. Chondrocytes incorporated in
tive stress responses. Moreover, chondrocytes encapsu- the hydrogel exhibit favorable viability and proliferation,
lated in the hydrogel have favorable viability, and exhibit with increased production of chondroitin sulfate and
a normal phenotype in terms of proliferation and migra- abundant collagen content. In addition, heparin-based
tion within the matrix, thus suggesting that the hydrogel is injectable hydrogels can also be combined with other
a promising injectable, cell-attracting adhesive scaffold scaffolds to reinforce its curative effects. Such a strategy
for cartilage tissue engineering. has been attempted by Kim et al,160 who have combined
However, there is a drawback to using an injectable the advantages of a porous gelatin-incorporated poly
alginate hydrogel: it is not strong enough to maintain the (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) scaffold and heparin-
structural shape of the regenerated tissue.141 Therefore, based injectable hydrogels to produce a scaffold/hydro-
alginate is usually modified or used in combination with gel composite for delivering chondrocytes to repair partial
other biomaterials to improve its mechanical properties. thickness cartilage defects. Cells encapsulated in the
Zhao et al142 have devised a fully injectable and mecha- scaffold/hydrogel composite exhibit enhanced expres-
nically strong calcium phosphate–alginate cement sion of chondrogenic genes and increased the produc-
hydrogel system. The mechanical properties of the tion of glycosaminoglycans. In addition, significant
hydrogel are much better than those of previous inject- cartilage formation that integrates well with the surround-
able polymeric and hydrogel carriers, and the encapsu- ing natural cartilage tissue has been observed when this
lated cells are viable, exhibit osteodifferentiation, and composite has been used to repair partial thickness
secrete bone minerals. Furthermore, owing to its lack of defects of rabbit knees. All of these results indicate that
cell adhesion ability, alginate is usually blended with other the scaffold/hydrogel composite is a promising scaffold
polymers.143–144 An injectable, biodegradable, oxidized system for cartilage regeneration.
alginate/hyaluronic acid hydrogel has been prepared by
Park and Lee.143 At 6 weeks after injection of the hydrogel Elastin-based injectable hydrogels. Elastin is an insoluble,
with primary chondrocytes into mice, effective cartilage polymeric, elastic protein found in soft tissue, such as skin,
regeneration has been observed. In another study, a class blood vessels, and lungs.161–162 Currently, elastin-based
of biocompatible and biodegradable alginate-based biomaterials are widely used in tissue engineering, espe-
hydrogel blend has been synthesized by using alginate cially in fabricating injectable hydrogels for cartilage tissue
and O-carboxymethyl chitosan with the addition of engineering, because elastin not only improves local
fibrin nanoparticles.144 Evaluation of the swelling ratio, elasticity but also facilitates cellular interactions and

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signaling during neoplastic tissue formation.162–163 For PEG,114,174–177 poly(L-glutamic acid),178–179 poly(vinyl
instance, Fathi et al87 have fabricated a highly cytocom- alcohol),180 poly(propylene fumarate),181 α,β-poly-
patible and injectable elastin-based hydrogel with alter- (N-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide,182 PEG-poly(N-isopropyl
able gelation characteristics, favorable mechanical acrylamide) (PNIPAAm),183 methoxy polyethylene glycol,184
properties, and good structural stability. This hydrogel is and methoxy polyethylene glycol–poly(ε-caprolactone).185
generated by the synthesis of a polymer (PNPHO) by For example, Yan et al186 have reported a novel poly
functionalizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-polylactide-2- (L-glutamic acid)-based injectable hydrogel. Preliminary
hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-oligo(ethylene glycol)mono- studies of the hydrogel have demonstrated successful
methyl ether methacrylate with succinimide ester groups, injectability, rapid in vivo gelling, excellent cell growth,
then covalently attaching elastin to PNPHO via interaction satisfactory mechanical stability, and favorable ectopic
of its primary amine groups with the ester groups of PNPHO cartilage formation. Skaalureet al187 have developed a
in aqueous solution. The elastin-co-PNPHO solutions are new cartilage-specific, degradable hydrogel based on
injectable and convert into hydrogels in situ at 37 °C PEG and have encapsulated bovine chondrocytes from
without any cross-linking reagent. In addition, this elastin- different sources in the hydrogel for cartilage tissue
based injectable hydrogel shows favorable structural engineering. This new PEG-based injectable hydrogel
stability and mechanical properties as well as preferable shows promise for cartilage regeneration. Moreover, De
cyto-biocompatibility, thus making it a favorable candi- France et al188 have designed an in situ gelling nano-
date for cartilage tissue-engineering applications. composite hydrogel based on poly(oligoethylene glycol
methacrylate) and rigid rod-like cellulose nanocrystals.
Chondroitin sulfate-based injectable hydrogels. Chon- This injectable hydrogel possesses enhanced mechanical
droitin sulfate, which is composed of sulfated disacchar- properties, increased stability and gelation rates, and
ide repeating units with 1–3 linkages of D-glucuronic acid decreased swelling ratios.
and N-acetylgalactosamine, is an abundant anionic However, synthetic biomaterials are not very biocompa-
linear polysaccharide present in connective tissue and tible, and, as compared with natural biomaterials, they
bones, and is an important component of cartilage in the lack biological activity. The most common strategy used to
body.164–167 Chondroitin sulfate plays important roles in solve this problem is modifying or combining synthetic
many biological processes such as intracellular signaling, biomaterials with bioactive polymers. For example, Yan
cell recognition, the connection between ECM compo- et al178 have fabricated a series of injectable poly(L-
nents and cell-surface glycoproteins, and chondrocyte glutamic acid)/alginate (PLGA/ALG) hydrogels by self-
phenotype regulation, as has widely been investigated in cross-linking hydrazide-modified poly(L-glutamic acid) and
cartilage tissue engineering.168–171 Wiltsey et al172 have aldehyde-modified alginate. This injectable PLGA/ALG
developed a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-graft-chondroi- hydrogel exhibits attractive properties for future applica-
tin sulfate-based injectable hydrogel scaffold, which acts tion in cartilage tissue engineering. In addition, Yu
as a favorable adhesive interface with surrounding tissue. et al120,189 have fabricated two hyaluronic acid/PEG-
The hydrogel system has been demonstrated to have based injectable hydrogels. Both hydrogels possess
improved mechanical properties at 37 °C, enhanced good mechanical properties and short gelation times,
adhesive tensile strength (ranging from 0.4 to 1 kPa), and and the cells encapsulated in the hydrogels exhibit high
no cytotoxicity to human embryonic kidney 293 cells. metabolic viability and proliferation, thus indicating that
Chen et al173 have successfully developed a novel both hydrogels have great potential in cartilage tissue
injectable pullulan/chondroitin sulfate composite hydro- engineering.
gel, synthesized under physiological conditions, for carti-
lage tissue engineering. The hydrogel system is very
cytocompatible, enhances cell proliferation, and INJECTABLE HYDROGELS FABRICATED VIA DIFFERENT
increases cartilaginous ECM deposition, thus showing APPROACHES
promise for cartilage tissue repair. There are various approaches available for the fabrication
of injectable hydrogels; depending on the approach
Synthetic biomaterial-based injectable hydrogels used, injectable hydrogels can be divided into physical
Compared with natural biomaterials, synthetic biomaterials, hydrogels and chemical hydrogels. Physical hydrogels
owing to their enhanced controllability and reproducibility, are spontaneously formed by weak secondary forces,
enable the systematic study of cell–matrix interactions.57 which respond to the changes in temperature, pH, or
To date, several degradable synthetic polymers have ionic concentration.63,190–191 Chemical hydrogels are pro-
been studied for the development of injectable hydrogels duced through a variety of chemical processes, for
for cartilage tissue engineering; these polymers include example, enzymatic cross-linking, Schiff base cross-linking,

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Michael additions, click chemistry, and photo-cross- properties. Ren et al204 have grafted temperature-
linking.44,56,62–63,192–193 sensitive PNIPAAm onto gelatin via atom transfer radical
polymerization, creating a hydrogel that successfully
undergoes a sol-to-gel transition at physiological tem-
Injectable hydrogels by physical methods perature. Tan et al205 have synthesized a temperature-
Temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogels. Injectable sensitive injectable hydrogel whose lower critical solution
hydrogels that are sensitive to temperature changes have temperature is ~ 35 °C, by grafting PNIPAAm-COOH with a
recently attracted substantial attention for applications in single carboxy end group onto aminated alginate
cartilage tissue engineering, because of their gelation through amide bond linkages. In addition, the hydrogel
ability at physiological temperature. These injectable is not cytotoxic and preserves the viability of the
hydrogels are present in aqueous form at room tempera- entrapped cells, thus making it suitable as a cell delivery
ture, but they rapidly gel at physiological temperature vehicle for cartilage tissue-engineering applications.
before solidifying in the desired tissue.194–195 The threshold
temperature at which hydrogels transform from a solution pH-sensitive injectable hydrogels. Injectable hydrogels
to a hydrogel state is defined as the lower critical solu- sensitive to pH value show significant potential in regenera-
tion temperature. The most useful characteristic of tive medicine. To obtain pH-sensitive injectable hydrogels, it
temperature-sensitive hydrogels is that they can undergo is necessary to incorporate the hydrogel with a pH-sensitive
a phase transition without any chemical stimulus. To date, moiety such as the polyelectrolyte N-palmitoylchitosan,65
the most common explanation of the phase transition polyacrylic acid,206 oligomeric sulfamethazine,207 and sulfa-
mechanism of temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogels methazine oligomers (SMOs).208 For example, Shim et al209
is that when the temperature changes, there is a and Kim et al191 have synthesized a pH-sensitive injectable
change in the hydration state favoring intra- and inter- hydrogel by adding pH-sensitive SMOs to both ends
molecular hydrogen bonding, thus eventually changing of a temperature-sensitive poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide)–
the hydrogel solubility.196–197 Therefore, to make inject- PEG–poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide) (PCLA–PEG–PCLA)
able hydrogels that are sensitive to temperatures, block copolymer. This pH-sensitive SMO–PCLA–PEG–PCLA–
temperature-sensitive polymers such as poly(lactic- SMO injectable hydrogel exists in solution at high pH (pH 8.0),
co-glycolic acid)–PEG,194 poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide),195 but rapidly changes into a stable gel under physiological
PNIPAAm,197 and poly(ethylene glycol-b-[DL-lactic acid- conditions (pH 7.4). Kim et al191 have encapsulated human
co-glycolic acid]-b-ethylene glycol)198 are needed. mesenchymal stem cells and recombinant human bone
PNIPAAm, an inverse temperature-sensitive polymer morphogenetic protein-2 into the hydrogels under physiolo-
derived from polyacrylic acid, has become one of the gical conditions and injected the mixture into the backs of
most commonly used temperature-sensitive polymers, mice. Histological studies observing human mesenchymal
owing to its rapid phase transition at its ~ 32 °C lower stem cell differentiation for 7 weeks have revealed miner-
critical solution temperature.199–201 However, linear PNI- alized tissue formation and high levels of alkaline phospha-
PAAm is not stable at physiological temperature, thus tase activity in the mineralized tissue.
requiring the modification of other polymers to improve
the stability and mechanical properties. Kloudaet al202 Other physical injectable hydrogels. Other physical
have studied the effects of the macromer end group, injectable hydrogels, such as ion-sensitive and stress-
acrylate or methacrylate, and the effects of fabrication sensitive hydrogels, for cartilage tissue-engineering
conditions on the degradative and swelling properties of applications have also been reported.62–64 For instance,
PNIPAAm-based injectable hydrogels. When immersed in Park et al64 have prepared an ionically cross-linkable
cell culture medium at physiological temperature, the hyaluronate-grafted-alginate hydrogel that easily forms
hydrogels maintain constant swelling, and exhibit no gels in the presence of calcium ions and has been
observable degradation over 8 weeks; the methacrylated demonstrated to be useful in cartilage regeneration by
hydrogels show greater swelling than their acrylated the subcutaneous injection of primary chondrocyte-
analogs. Another temperature-sensitive PNIPAAm-based encapsulated hyaluronate-grafted-alginate into the dor-
injectable hydrogel, synthesized by functionalizing PNI- sal region in a mouse model. Except for the novel
PAAm with methacrylate groups by degradable phos- methods of developing physical injectable hydrogels,
phate ester bonds, has transition temperatures between determining how to improve the biocompatibility, biode-
room temperature and physiological temperature.203 gradability, mechanical properties, and the in vivo main-
Making temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogels by tenance of structural integrity of correlated biomaterials
modifying PNIPAAm with natural polymers is another are further research topics for the design of physical
strategy to optimize their stability and mechanical injectable hydrogels.

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Figure 4. Schematic illustration of injectable hydrogels prepared by

the enzymatic cross-linking method with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)
and H2O2.

Injectable hydrogels by chemical methods

Injectable hydrogels by enzymatic cross-linking. Recently,
the use of the enzymatic cross-linking method applied to
the development of novel injectable hydrogels has drawn Figure 5. Schematic illustration of injectable hydrogels prepared by
attention, owing to the fast gelation, high site specificity, Schiff base cross-linking between aqueous solutions of GC and poly
ability to work at normal physiological conditions, and low (EO-co-Gly)-CHO.230
cytotoxicity.210–215 Several enzyme-mediated cross-linking
systems have been applied to synthesizing injectable
hydrogels for cartilage tissue-engineering applications, Injectable hydrogels by Schiff base cross-linking. Schiff
including transglutaminase, tyrosinase, phosphopantethei- base reactions have been widely used for synthesizing
nyl transferase, lysyl oxidase, plasma amine oxidase, injectable hydrogels for cartilage regeneration applica-
phosphatase, thermolysin, β-lactamase, and peroxidase.215 tions, owing to the mild reaction conditions and high
Among them, HRP is the most commonly used enzyme in reaction rate, as well as the ability to form imine bonds
synthesizing injectable hydrogels. HRP is a single-chain between amino and aldehyde groups without any
β-type hemoprotein that catalyzes the conjugation of external stimuli or additional reagents under physiological
phenol and aniline derivatives in the presence of conditions.92,223–228 Chitosan is an excellent biomaterial
H2O2.215–216 The HRP-mediated cross-linking system cova- for preparing injectable hydrogels via Schiff base cross-
lently binds the phenol-conjugated polymers to the ECM linking, owing to the abundant amino groups on its
proteins of the surrounding native tissue and thus is backbone. For example, Cheng et al229 have reported
beneficial in maintaining the structural integrity of the an injectable chitosan-based polysaccharide hydrogel
wound tissue.217 for cell and protein delivery, which is cross-linked via an
Both natural and synthetic polymers that contain phenol imine bond resulting from the Schiff base reaction
groups or are functionalized with tyramine, tyrosine, or between the amino functionalities of chitosan and the
other aminophenol molecules can be enzymatically aldehyde groups of dextran aldehyde in aqueous solu-
cross-linked by HRP (Figure 4).218–220 For example, Wang tions. Cao et al230 have utilized a multi-benzaldehyde-
et al221 have reported an HRP-mediated gelatin–hydro- functionalized PEG analog, poly(ethylene oxide-co-glyci-
xyphenylpropionic acid-based injectable hydrogel for dol)-CHO(poly(EO-co-Gly)-CHO), and glycol chitosan to
ectopic cartilage formation and early-stage osteochon- successfully develop an injectable hydrogel system for
dral defect repair. The reported hydrogel was fabricated cartilage tissue repair, which was chemically cross-linked
by oxidative coupling of hydroxyphenylpropionic acid through a Schiff base reaction between amino groups of
moieties, catalyzed by HRP and H2O2. Jin et al222 have glycol chitosan and aldehyde groups of poly(EO-co-Gly)-
also enzymatically cross-linked Dex–TA conjugates in the CHO under physiological conditions in situ (Figure 5). In
presence of HRP and H2O2 to prepare an injectable addition, other biomaterial-based injectable hydrogels
hydrogel for cartilage tissue repair. Chondrocytes encap- coupled by Schiff base cross-linking have been widely
sulated in the Dex–TA hydrogels have been found to investigated. Most recently, Ma et al231 have developed
retain their viability and normal morphology after 2 weeks, a biodegradable and injectable polymer–liposome
and to secrete glycosaminoglycans and collagen type II hydrogel by using aldehyde-modified xanthan gum and
after culturing for 14 and 21 days, thus indicating that the phosphatidylethanolamine liposomes, which are chemi-
enzymatically cross-linked injectable Dex–TA hydrogels cally cross-linked by a Schiff base reaction between the
are promising for cartilage tissue-engineering applications. aldehyde groups of aldehyde-modified xanthan gum and

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Figure 6. Schematic illustration of injectable hydrogels prepared by

the Michael addition cross-linking method.
Figure 8. Schematic illustration of injectable hydrogels prepared by
the photo-cross-linking method. Reprinted with permission from
ref. 256 2009 Elsevier Publishing Group.

reactions (Figure 7), including copper-catalyzed azide-

alkyne cyclo-addition reactions,244–246 Diels–Alder
120
reactions, the thiol-ene reactions,247–248 tetrazine–nor-
bornene chemistry,249 thiol-epoxy,250 and thiol-maleimide
Figure 7. Schematic illustration of injectable hydrogels prepared by couplings.251 These reactions have shown great promise
click chemistry. for the development of injectable hydrogels, owing to
their rapid polymerization kinetics and low reactivity with
cellular components.252–254 For example, Kaga et al255
amino groups of PE liposomes. This xanthan gum-based have fabricated a dendron–polymer–dendron conju-
liposome hydrogel has many advantages, such as rapid gate-based injectable hydrogel through radical thiol-ene
preparation at room temperature, ready biodegradation “click” reactions. In this fabrication process, the dendron–
by enzymes, excellent self-healing capability, and the polymer conjugates were prepared through an azide-
ability to maintain favorable cell viability. alkyne “click” reaction of alkene-containing polyester
dendrons, bearing an alkyne group at their focal point,
Injectable hydrogels by Michael addition. The Michael with linear PEG-bisazides. The sequential thiol-ene “click”
addition reaction, which is the nucleophilic addition of a reaction uses a tetrathiol-based cross-linker to cross-link
carbanion or a nucleophile to an α,β-unsaturated carbo- these alkene-functionalized dendron–polymer conju-
nyl compound (Figure 6), is another commonly used gates, thus resulting in clear and transparent hydrogels.
approach to prepare injectable hydrogels, owing to its
reaction under physiological conditions and controllable Injectable hydrogels by photo-cross-linking. Photo-cross-
reaction time.193,232–239 Hyaluronic acid, chitosan, and linking is a complex process, consisting of initiation,
PEG are frequently used biomaterials for injectable propagation, and termination steps, triggered by electro-
hydrogel preparation via the Michael addition reaction magnetic radiation in the visible and ultraviolet regions
for cartilage tissue engineering under physiological (Figure 8).256–257 First, free radicals are created by the
conditions.114,240–242 For example, Calogero et al243 have excitation of photoinitiators, as a result of the illumination
prepared two kinds of hyaluronic acid-based injectable in the initiation step. Then, long kinetic chains are cross-
hydrogels by Michael addition, using the amino derivative linked by propagating the radicals through unreacted
of hyaluronic acid (HA-EDA), α-elastin-grafted HA-EDA, double bonds in the propagation step, and this is followed
and α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamidederivatized by a termination step, which is characterized by the end
with divinylsulfone. The swelling and degradation profile as of cross-linking in the 3D polymeric network.257 In recent
well as its ability to incorporate viable articular chondro- years, photo-cross-linking methods have been widely
cytes of the injectable hydrogel indicate that this applied to prepare injectable hydrogels for cartilage
injectable hydrogel scaffold possesses desired properties tissue engineering because of the ability to control the
for the treatment of articular cartilage damage under timing and location of cross-linking under physiological
physiological conditions. conditions.258–266 For example, Papadopoulos et al267
have developed a poly(ethylene glycol)dimethacrylate
Injectable hydrogels by click chemistry. Click chemistry copolymer-based injectable hydrogel by photo-cross-
refers to a synthetic concept involving a wide range of linking for cartilage tissue-engineering applications. Swine

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auricular chondrocytes have been encapsulated into properties. Meanwhile, owing to the properties of collagen,
PEGDM copolymer hydrogels composed of degradable this hydrogel enhances cell adhesion and proliferation.
(PEG-4,5 LA-DM) and nondegradable PEGDM macromers Ding et al276 have incorporated collagen into the chitosan/
in a 60:40 molar ratio. The histological, biochemical, and β-glycerophosphate system to synthesize an injectable
integrative features of the neocartilage indicate that the chitosan/β-glycerophosphate/collagen-based hydrogel
viability, proliferation, and normal secretion of glycosami- scaffold for bone tissue engineering. Mesenchymal stem
noglycan and hydroxyproline contents of the seeded cells co-cultured in the hydrogel have been demonstrated
chondrocytes are maintained, and the neocartilage to be capable of supporting neovascularization and
resembles the native swine auricular cartilage, thus osteogenic lineage differentiation. In recent years, syn-
indicating the promise of these hydrogels in cartilage thetic biomaterials-based injectable hydrogels for bone
tissue-engineering applications. tissue engineering have attracted attention. Jang et al277
have investigated an injectable in vivo forming hydrogel
scaffold made of methoxy polyethylene glycol-b-
INJECTABLE HYDROGELS FOR BONE TISSUE polycaprolactone block copolymer for bone tissue engi-
ENGINEERING neering. Differentiated osteoblasts encapsulated in the
Bone defects have become one of the leading causes of hydrogel exhibit characteristic expression of osteonectin,
morbidity and disability among elderly people osteopontin, and osteocalcin. Vo et al278 have designed
worldwide.268–269 Although autografting is regarded as an N-isopropylacrylamide/gelatin microparticle-composite
the gold standard for bone defect repair, it is limited by hydrogel. The gelatin microparticles incorporated in the
the donor-site morbidity and uncertain adverse effects.270 hydrogel enhance bony bridging and mineralization within
Therefore, bone tissue engineering has attracted consider- the defect and direct bone-implant contact. After encap-
able attention from researchers as a promising strategy for sulation of mesenchymal stem cells in the hydrogel,
repairing bone defects without the limitations and short- significant tissue infiltration and osteoid formation have
comings of using either bone autografts, allografts, or been observed, thus suggesting that the hydrogel system
xenografts.271 facilitate bone ingrowth and integration.
Recently, various injectable hydrogels with good mold- To improve the mechanical properties and mineraliza-
ability and 3D structures have been widely investigated for tion of the scaffold in bone tissue engineering, inorganic
use in bone tissue engineering. Among the biomaterials materials are usually introduced with hybrid hydrogels.
used for preparing injectable hydrogels, alginate is one of Given that hydroxyapatite (HA) is one of the major
the most investigated biomaterials used in bone tissue inorganic components in bone tissue,279 Fu et al280 have
engineering.135 Matsuno et al272 have developed a novel prepared a novel three-component injectable thermo-
injectable 3D hydrogel for bone tissue engineering that sensitive hydrogel composite composed of triblock PEG–
uses β-tricalcium phosphate beads and alginate as a PCL–PEG copolymer, collagen, and nanohydroxyapatite.
scaffold. Mesenchymal stem cells 3D-cultured within the This hydrogel composite has a good interconnected
hydrogel have been implanted subcutaneously for in vivo porous structure in addition to excellent thermosensitivity.
experiments, and have indicated that the scaffold can Furthermore, in vivo studies have demonstrated that the
favorably support osteogenic differentiation. Han et al273 PECE/collagen/nanohydroxyapatite hydrogel has good
have prepared an injectable calcium silicate/sodium biocompatibility and exhibits better performance in
alginate hybrid hydrogel by incorporating calcium silicate guided bone regeneration than in the self-healing process,
into an alginate solution. In 30 s to 10 min, this hydrogel thus indicating its great promise for bone tissue engineer-
undergoes internal in situ gelling when calcium ions are ing. Furthermore, Jiao et al281 have synthesized an in situ
released from calcium silicate with the introduction of cross-linkable citric acid-based biodegradable PEG mal-
D-gluconic acid δ-lactone. Moreover, the hydrogel effi- eate citrate/HA hydrogel. Huang et al282 have fabricated
ciently promotes the adhesion, proliferation, and differen- an injectable nanohydroxyapatite/glycol chitosan/
tiation of osteogenic and angiogenic cells. Chitosan is hyaluronic acid composite hydrogel. MC-3T3-E1 cells
another commonly used biomaterial for synthesizing inject- incorporated in the hydrogel attach and spread well after
able hydrogels in bone tissue engineering.274 Dessi et al275 7 days of co-incubation, thus suggesting that the hydro-
have successfully developed a thermosensitive chitosan- gel’s potential application in bone tissue engineering. Lin
based hydrogel cross-linked with β-glycerophosphate and et al283 have designed an injectable and thermosensitive
reinforced by physical interactions with β-tricalcium phos- hydrogel composite composed of poly(lactic acid-co-
phate. The hydrogel simulates natural bone tissue and glycolic acid)-g-PEG and HA for its potential application in
supports cellular activity and undergoes a sol–gel transition bone tissue engineering. The addition of HA into the
at physiological temperature with typical rheological hydrogel enhances the mechanical properties and

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bioactivity of the hydrogel. Most recently, an injectable various preparation methods of injectable hydrogels,
alginate/HA hydrogel scaffold, combined with gelatin including both physical and chemical methods, were
microspheres (GMs), has been reported by Yan et al.284 highlighted. Physical hydrogels can be easily fabricated,
In this hydrogel, HA and GMs successfully improve the owing to their sensitivity to external stimuli such as
mechanical properties of the scaffold, thus demonstrating temperature, pH, ion concentration, and stress. Although
that the HA and GMs double-integrated alginate-based physical injectable hydrogels can easily be produced and
hydrogel has a suitable physical performance and bioac- have low cytotoxicity, they usually have a slow response
tive properties. Thus, the hydrogel shows great potential for time and low stability. In contrast, injectable hydrogels
local treatment of pathologies involving bone defects. prepared via chemical methods show favorable stability
Moreover, taking advantage of the structural and regula- under physiological conditions and excellent mechanical
tory cellular functions of zinc (Zn) and its ability to promote properties, but they have adverse effects in vivo, owing to
osteoblastogenesis and suppress osteoclastogenesis,285 chemical reactions.
Niranjan et al286 have reported a thermosensitive Over the past several years, there have been many
hydrogel, containing Zn, chitosan, and β-glyceropho- studies focused on synthesizing novel injectable hydrogels
sphate, for bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, for cartilage and bone repair. However, many challenges
Dhivyaet al287 have designed an injectable thermosensi- remain to be addressed in fabricating injectable hydrogels
tive zinc-doped chitosan/nanohydroxyapatite/β-glycero- to optimally achieve cartilage and bone regeneration. The
phosphate-based hydrogel. In vivo studies in a ratbone- major challenge of developing injectable hydrogels for
defect model system have indicated the potential of the cartilage and bone tissue engineering is the design of
hydrogel for accelerating bone formation at molecular bioactive scaffolds that have perfect biocompatibility,
and cellular levels. Other inorganic materials such as biodegradability, stability, and favorable mechanical
nanosilica and Bioglass have been studied for the properties for 3D cell culture, and are able to support
preparation of hybrid hydrogel systems.288–289 For example, nutrient transportation and growth factor delivery. To
Vishnu Priya et al290 have developed an injectable address this challenge, first, bioactive biomaterials that
hydrogel system by using chitin and poly(butylene succinate) can be used to prepare novel injectable hydrogels
loaded with fibrin nanoparticles and magnesium-doped should be developed. Most recently, attempts at using
Bioglass. This hydrogel system enhances the initiation of glycopolypeptide,291 silk,292 carrageenan,293 pectin,294
differentiation and expression of alkaline phosphatase and even the ECM295 to synthesize injectable hydrogels
and osteocalcin, thus indicating its promise for regenerat- have attracted attention. Second, advanced fabrication
ing irregular bone defects. methods require further development, primarily to improve
the mechanical properties and physiological stability, and
to decrease the cytotoxicity and adverse effects of the
CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES hydrogels in vivo. Finally, the development of a methodol-
Injectable hydrogels are promising scaffolds for cartilage ogy to integrate the merits of the various biomaterials and
and bone tissue engineering, owing to their minimal fabrication methods for the preparation of injectable
invasive properties and ability to match irregular defects. hydrogels will play an important role in the clinical
In this review, we summarized many novel injectable applications of hydrogels in cartilage and bone tissue
hydrogels prepared by a variety of biomaterial and engineering.
fabrication techniques for cartilage- and bone tissue-
engineering applications. First, injectable hydrogels fabri-
cated from both natural biomaterials and synthetic Acknowledgements
This work was supported by NSFC (nos 61471168, 61571187,61301043, and
biomaterials were reviewed. Natural biomaterials such as
61527806), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2016T90403), and the
chitosan, collagen/gelatin, alginate, fibrin, elastin, heparin, Economical Forest Cultivation and Utilization of 2011 Collaborative
and hyaluronic acid are among the most commonly used Innovation Center in Hunan Province [(2013) 448].
biomaterials for the preparation of injectable hydrogels,
owing to their perfect cyto-biocompatibility, biodegrad-
ability, low cytotoxicity, and similarity to the natural Competing interests
cartilage and bony ECMs. However, injectable hydrogels The authors declare no conflict of interest.

synthesized from natural biomaterials usually lack mechan-

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