Current hydrogel advances in physicochemical and biological response-driven biomedical application diversity

Hydrogel is a type of versatile platform with various biomedical applications after rational structure and functional design that leverages on material engineering to modulate its physicochemical properties(e.g.,stiffness,pore size,viscoelasticity,microarchitecture,degradability,liga nd prese ntation,stimulus-resp on sive properties,etc.)and in flue nee cell signaling cascades and fate.In the past few decades,a plethora of pioneering studies have been implemented to explore the cell-hydrogel matrix interactions and figure out the underlying mechanisms,paving the way to the lab-to-clinic translation of hydrogel-based therapies.In this review,we first introduced the physicochemical properties of hydrogels and their fabrication approaches concisely.Subsequently,the comprehensive description and deep discussion were elucidated,wherein the influences of different hydrogels properties on cell behaviors and cellular signaling eve nts were highlighted.These behaviors or events in eluded integrin clustering,focal adhesion(FA)complex accumulation and activation,cytoskeleton rearrangement,protein cyto-nuelei shuttling and activation(e.g.,Yes-associated protein(YAP),catenin,etc.),cellular compartment reorganization,gene expression,and further cell biology modulation(e.g.,spreading,migration,proliferation,lineage commitment,etc.).Based on them,current in vitro and in vivo hydrogel applications that mainly covered diseases models,various cell delivery protocols for tissue regeneration and disease therapy,smart drug carrier,bioimaging,biosensor,and conductive wearable/implantable biodevices,etc.were further summarized and discussed.More significantly,the dinical translation potential and trials of hydrogels were presented,accompanied with which the remaining challenges and future perspectives in this field were emphasized.Collectively,the comprehe nsive and deep in sights in this review will shed light on the design principles of new biomedical hydrogels to understand and modulate cellular processes,which are available for providing significant indications for future hydrogel design and serving for a broad range of biomedical applications.