Recent advances in polysaccharide-based self-healing hydrogels for biomedical applications

Abstract

Hydrogels are a class of polymer materials with three-dimensional networks structure, which can absorb a large number of water and biological fluids. Natural polysaccharides are ideal materials for the preparation of biomimetic hydrogels because of their good biocompatibility and biodegradability. The self-healing hydrogel can achieve healing without external force and prolong the service life of the hydrogel. Therefore, self-healing hydrogels are of great interest in tissue engineering, wound dressings, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. This review aims to introduce the preparation methods, self-healing properties of polysaccharide-based self-healing hydrogels and its potential applications in biomedicine and other fields.

Keywords: Biomedical applications; Hydrogel; Polysaccharide; Self-healing.