Chapter 3

Shape-memory Polymers for Tissue Engineering Applications

Fangyuan Zheng

Fangyuan Zheng

Basque Centre for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (BCMaterials), Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

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Ane García-García

Ane García-García

Basque Centre for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (BCMaterials), Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

University of Basque Country, Macromolecular Chemistry Group (LABQUIMAC), Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Physical Chemistry, Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

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Isabel Moreno-Benítez

Isabel Moreno-Benítez

Basque Centre for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (BCMaterials), Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

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Leire Ruiz-Rubio

Leire Ruiz-Rubio

Basque Centre for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (BCMaterials), Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

University of Basque Country, Macromolecular Chemistry Group (LABQUIMAC), Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Physical Chemistry, Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

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Leyre Pérez-Álvarez

Leyre Pérez-Álvarez

Basque Centre for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (BCMaterials), Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

University of Basque Country, Macromolecular Chemistry Group (LABQUIMAC), Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Physical Chemistry, Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

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José L. Vilas-Vilela

José L. Vilas-Vilela

Basque Centre for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (BCMaterials), Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

University of Basque Country, Macromolecular Chemistry Group (LABQUIMAC), Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Physical Chemistry, Sarriena no number, Leioa, 48940 Spain

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First published: 22 November 2024

Summary

Growing interest on tissue engineering has driven the fast advancement of shape-memory polymers. These materials are able to recover a programmed shape when an external stimulus is applied. This unique functionality has been used to promote tissue defect filling and stimulate cell differentiation and new tissue generation. In this review, we describe the structural specifications that explain the shape recovery in the diverse range of shape-memory polymers, as well as the critical requirements that must been considered in their design to their successful integration and in vivo performance. Moreover, this chapter reviews recent investigations related to tissue engineering applications of shape-memory homopolymers/copolymers, composites, and hydrogels. We reviewed the physicochemical properties of SMPs with a huge variety of structures and trigger stimuli, and their contributions to the tissue regeneration and formation in cellular and in vivo experiments devoted to the repair of different tissue types. New perspectives in the field that allow the effective translation of these materials to the clinic are also highlighted.

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