Biomaterializing the advances in uterine tissue engineering

Zhangming Wei; Yi Hu; Xiang He; Wen Ling; Jinxin Yao; Zhenjuan Li; Qiru Wang; Liping Li

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.105657

Biomaterializing the advances in uterine tissue engineering

iScience. 2022 Nov 24;25(12):105657. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105657. eCollection 2022 Dec 22.

Authors

Zhangming Wei^{1

2

3}, Yi Hu⁴, Xiang He^{1

2

3}, Wen Ling^{1

2

3}, Jinxin Yao^{1

2

3}, Zhenjuan Li^{1

2

3}, Qiru Wang^{1

2

3}, Liping Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen 518020, China.
² The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510000, China.
³ The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410000, China.
⁴ The First Affiliated Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.

Abstract

The uterus is considered to be a unique wound-healing model and distinguished by the repeated shedding of the endometrium and self-traceless regeneration. Common curettage, cesarean section, and other operations often cause endometrial and myometrial defects and obstetric and gynecological complications, leading to a high demand for uterine repair or partial replacement. However, the structure and function of the uterus are complicated. Functional uterine tissue engineering requires highly specialized biomaterials with a natural extracellular microenvironment. Currently, no biomaterial can fully simulate the structural and biomechanical properties of the uterus. Many efforts have been made to develop highly functional materials and tissue structures that may provide uterine tissue engineering constructs for reducing obstetric and gynecological complications. Continuous efforts will likely facilitate the development of scalable cells and biomaterial technologies for clinical use. This review summarizes the recent applications of biomaterials and tissue engineering in rebuilding a portion of or the entire uterus.

Keywords: bioengineering; biological sciences; biotechnology; tissue engineering.

Publication types

Review