A Review of Hydrogels Containing Fibers in Drug Delivery Systems

Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of hydrophilic polymers capable of absorbing and retaining significant amounts of fluids, which are also widely applied in wound healing, cartilage tissue engineering, bone tissue engineering, release of proteins, growth factors, and antibiotics. In the past decades, a lot of research has been done to accelerate wound healing. Hydrogel-based scaffolds have been a recurring solution in both cases, although their mechanical stability remains a challenge, some of which have already reached the market. To overcome this limitation, the reinforcement of hydrogels with fibers has been investigated. The structural similarity of hydrogel fiber composites to natural tissues has been a driving force for the optimization and exploration of these systems in biomedicine. Indeed, the combination of hydrogel formation techniques and fiber spinning methods has been very important in the development of scaffold systems with improved mechanical strength and medicinal properties. Hydrogel has the ability to absorb secretions and maintain moisture balance in the wound. In turn, the fibers follow the structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The combination of these two structures (fiber and hydrogel ) in a scaffold is expected to facilitate healing by creating a suitable environment by identifying and connecting cells with the moist and breathing space required for healthy tissue formation. Modifying the surface of fibers by physical and chemical methods improves the performance of hydrogel composites containing