Fibrin in Reproductive Tissue Engineering: A Review on Its Application as a Biomaterial for Fertility Preservation

Ann Biomed Eng. 2017 Jul;45(7):1650-1663. doi: 10.1007/s10439-017-1817-5. Epub 2017 Mar 7.

Abstract

In recent years, reproductive medicine has made good use of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine techniques to develop alternatives to restore fertility in cancer patients. For young female cancer patients who cannot undergo any of the currently applied strategies due to the possible presence of malignant cells in their ovaries, the challenge is creating an in vitro or in vivo artificial ovary using carefully selected biomaterials. Thanks to its numerous qualities, fibrin has been widely used as a scaffold material for fertility preservation applications. The goal of this review is to examine and discuss the applications and advantages of this biopolymer for fertility restoration in cancer patients, and consider the main results achieved so far.

Keywords: In vitro artificial ovary; Ovarian tissue transplantation; Tissue engineering; Transplantable artificial ovary.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biocompatible Materials / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Fertility*
  • Fibrin / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Reproductive Techniques*
  • Tissue Engineering / methods*

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Fibrin