The Potential of Tissue Engineering in Treatment of Female Reproductive System Disorders: A Review

Recent advances in the field of reproductive biology through tissue engineering have greatly contributed to infertility health care and treatment. Current studies on the bioengineering of female genital tissues has created new hopes for people suffering from congenital and acquired reproductive tract disorders and infertility.

This study aims to review the biological materials and strategies employed in the tissue engineering of female reproductive organs and tissues.

In this study, articles were searched using the keywords “infertility”, “tissue engineering”, “female reproductive organs”, “vagina”, “uterus”, “ovary” and “follicle” independently in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google scholar databases. Finally 82 articles were selected and reviewed.

Tissue engineering using biological materials, stem cells, and molecular factors for the construction of artificial uterus, vaginal reconstruction, growth and maturation of ovarian follicles in laboratory conditions, in addition to providing a platform for basic science studies in this field, has provided practical and therapeutic solutions for the female reproductive system disorders and infertility.

The physiological function of female reproductive system can be affected by congenital and acquired disorders, resulting in infertility. Tissue engineering approaches, as functional therapeutic solutions, have greatly contributed to this field through the use of biological materials, cells and growth factors. Therefore, tissue engineering-based therapies can open a window of hope in women suffering from these disorders.