Electrospinning, the only method that can continuously produce nanofibers, has been widely used to prepare nanofibers for tissue engineering applications. However, electrospinning is not suitable for preparing clinically relevant three-dimensional (3D) nanofibrous scaffolds with hierarchical pore structures. In this study, recombinant human collagen (RHC)/chitosan nanofibers prepared by electrospinning were combined with porous scaffolds produced by freeze drying to fabricate 3D nanofibrous scaffolds. These scaffolds exhibited high porosity (over 80%) and an interconnected porous structure (ranging from sub-micrometers to 200 μm) covered with nanofibers. As confirmed by the characterization results, these scaffolds showed good swelling ability, stability, and adequate mechanical strength, making it possible to use the 3D nanofibrous scaffolds in various tissue engineering applications. In addition, after seven days of cell culturing, NIH 3T3 was infiltrated into the scaffolds while maintaining its morphology and with superior proliferation and viability. These results indicated that the 3D nanofibrous scaffolds hold great promise for tissue engineering applications.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels are promising implants due to the similarity of their low-friction behavior to that of cartilage tissue, and also due to their non-cytotoxicity. However, their poor mechanical resistance and insufficient durability restricts their application in this area. With the development of biodegradable glass fibers (BGF), which show desirable mechanical performance and bioactivity for orthopedic engineering, we designed a novel PVA hydrogel composite reinforced with biodegradable glass fibers, intended for use in artificial cartilage repair with its excellent cytocompatibility and long-term mechanical stability. Using structure characterization and thermal properties analysis, we found hydrogen bonding occurred among PVA molecular networks as well as in the PVA–BGF interface, which explained the increase in crystallinity and glass transition temperature, and was the reason for the improved mechanical performance and better anti-fatigue behavior of the composites in comparison with PVA. The compressive strength and modulus for the PBGF-15 composite reached 3.05 and 3.97 MPa, respectively, equaling the mechanical properties of human articular cartilage. Moreover, the increase in BGF content was found to support the proliferation of chondrocytes in vitro, whilst the PVA hydrogel matrix was able to control the ion concentration by adjusting the ions released from the BGF. Therefore, this novel biodegradable-glass-fiber-reinforced hydrogel composite possesses excellent properties for cartilage repair with potential in medical application.

Skin tissue engineering scaffolds should possess key properties such as porosity, degradability, durability, and biocompatibility to effectively facilitate skin cell adhesion and growth. In this study, recombinant human collagen (RHC) was used to fabricate porous scaffolds via freeze-drying, offering an alternative to animal-derived collagen where bovine collagen (BC)-based scaffolds were also prepared for comparison. The internal morphology of the RHC scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the pore size ranged from 68.39 to 117.52 µm. The results from compression and fatigue tests showed that the mechanical strength and durability of RHC scaffolds could be tailored by adjusting the RHC concentration, and the maximum compressive modulus reached to 0.003 MPa, which is comparable to that of BC scaffolds. The degradation test illustrated that the RHC scaffolds had a slower degradation rate compared to BC scaffolds. Finally, the biocompatibilities of the porous scaffolds were studied by seeding and culturing the human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in samples. The fluorescent images and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay revealed RHC porous scaffolds were non-cytotoxic and supported the attachment as well as the proliferation of the seeded cells. Overall, the results demonstrated that RHC-based scaffolds exhibited adequate mechanical strength, ideal biodegradability, and exceptional biocompatibility, making them highly suitable for skin-tissue-engineering applications.

Collagen types I and III are primary structural proteins that maintain human skin integrity, and their ratio is disrupted during aging. In this study, we developed a biomimetic 3D skin model with vascularization potential to evaluate the effects of nano-zinc oxide (nano-ZnO) in a physiologically relevant context. The model used methacrylated recombinant human collagen (RHC-MA) bioinks with tunable collagen I/III ratios that mimic the skin of children and adults. The bioinks exhibited excellent printability and mechanical properties that enabled the 3D bioprinting of full-thickness skin products, including dermal layers with human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as well as epidermal layers with keratinocytes (KCs). The model recapitulated native skin architecture, and key markers such as keratin 10 (K10), keratin 14 (K14), and cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) were determined. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that nano-ZnO significantly modulated genes associated with apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in skin cells.

Corneal disease is a cause of vision loss worldwide, while conventional keratoplasty is constrained by limited donor tissue and immune rejection. This indication-guided review examines functional polymer platforms for corneal tissue engineering, including natural polymers, synthetic polymer networks and scaffolds, and hybrid polymer composites. It examines how molecular composition, crosslinking, architecture, surface functionalization, and fabrication influence hydrogels, films, fibrous scaffolds, injectable matrices, delivery systems, and polymeric keratoprosthetic components for epithelial, stromal, and endothelial contexts. Using an indication-guided design trade-off framework, the review compares these systems across optical performance, mechanical performance and surgical handling, mass transport and degradation behavior, biological function and tissue integration, host response, and manufacturability. Natural polymers can provide biological cues that support cell interactions, with limitations in mechanical robustness and compositional consistency. Synthetic polymers offer greater control of network properties and processing but often require biofunctionalization to support tissue integration. Hybrid constructs can distribute optical, structural, and therapeutic functions across components or regions, with added fabrication complexity. No material class is universally optimal, and polymer selection should be guided by the target corneal layer and clinical indication. Standardized evaluation, reproducible reporting of polymer composition and fabrication conditions, scalable manufacturing, and transparent reporting of evidence maturity are priorities for clinical translation.