Objective To introduce the development of dextran-based hydrogel and its drug delivery system in drug sustained and/or controlled release, and to investigate their application in tissue engineering.Methods Related literature was extensively reviewed and comprehensively analyzed. Results In recent years, great progress was made in the studies of dextran-based hydrogels and study on dextran-based intelligent materials became an investigative hotspot especially in tissue engineering. Conclusion Dextran based hydrogel is considered to be a good potential material in field of drug delivery and tissue engineering. Endowed with new characteristics, a series of intelligent biomaterials can be derived from dextran-based hydrogels, which can be widely used in biomedicine. Further study should be done on the industrialization of its interrelated production.
In cases where a tracheal injury exceeds half the length of the adult trachea or one-third of the length of the child trachea, it becomes difficult to perform end-to-end anastomosis after tracheotomy due to excessive tension at the anastomosis site. In such cases, tracheal replacement therapy is required. Advances in tissue engineering technology have led to the development of tissue engineering tracheal substitutes, which have promising applications. Hydrogels, which are highly hydrated and possess a good three-dimensional network structure, biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, biodegradability, and modifiability, have had wide applications in the field of tissue engineering. This article provides a review of the characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and effects of various hydrogels commonly used in tissue engineering trachea in recent years. Additionally, the article discusses and offers prospects for the future application of hydrogels in the field of tissue engineering trachea.