Recent Advances in Mechano-Responsive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Mechanical responsiveness is prevalent in biological systems and plays an essential role in many biomechanical processes. The past two decades have witnessed enormous effort devoted to the development of biomimetic mechano-responsive hydrogels which are capable of adapting their physical and chemical properties to external mechanical stimuli. Due to the combination of tissue similarity and mechano-responsive properties, this type of hydrogel offers great advantages for diverse biomedical applications. Strain-stiffening and self-healing hydrogels duplicate the physiological properties of biological tissues, serving as promising candidates for artificial tissues, tissue scaffolds, and wound dressings. The shear-thinning property provides the hydrogels injectability, and the regional delivery contributes to minimally invasive treatment. Mechanochromic hydrogels allow the direct visualization of mechanical stress, holding great promise in biosensing and diagnosing. This review highlights the most recent developments in mechano-responsive hydrogels with various applications in the biomedical field. Different types of mechano-responsive hydrogels are introduced with focus on their responsive mechanisms, design strategies, and in vitro/in vivo performances, providing useful insights into the understanding and future research directions of mechano-responsive hydrogels with applications in biomedical engineering.