In recent years, numerous applications of hydrogels using polysaccharides have evolved, benefiting from their widespread availability, excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and nonpoisonous nature. These natural polymers are typically sourced from renewable materials or from manufacturing processes, contributing collaboratively to waste management and demonstrating the potential for enhanced and enduring sustainability. In the field of novel bioactive molecule carriers for biotherapeutics, natural polymers are attracting attention due to their inherent properties and adaptable chemical structures. These polymers offer versatile matrices with a range of architectures and mechanical properties, while retaining the bioactivity of incorporated biomolecules. However, conventional polysaccharide-based hydrogels suffer from inadequate mechanical toughness with large swelling properties, which prohibit their efficacy in real-world applications. This review offers insights into the latest advancements in the development of diverse polysaccharide-based hydrogels for biotherapeutic administrations, either standalone or in conjunction with other polymers or drug delivery systems, in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.

There is ongoing research for biomedical applications of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based hydrogels; however, the execution of this has not yet been achieved at an appropriate level for commercialization. Advanced perception is necessary for the design and synthesis of suitable materials, such as PVA-based hydrogel for biomedical applications. Among polymers, PVA-based hydrogel has drawn great interest in biomedical applications owing to their attractive potential with characteristics such as good biocompatibility, great mechanical strength, and apposite water content. By designing the suitable synthesis approach and investigating the hydrogel structure, PVA-based hydrogels can attain superb cytocompatibility, flexibility, and antimicrobial activities, signifying that it is a good candidate for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, drug delivery, wound dressing, contact lenses, and other fields. In this review, we highlight the current progresses on the synthesis of PVA-based hydrogels for biomedical applications explaining their diverse usage across a variety of areas. We explain numerous synthesis techniques and related phenomena for biomedical applications based on these materials. This review may stipulate a wide reference for future acumens of PVA-based hydrogel materials for their extensive applications in biomedical fields.

Polymeric hydrogels have drawn considerable attention as a biomedical material for their unique mechanical and chemical properties, which are very similar to natural tissues. Among the conventional hydrogel materials, self-healing hydrogels (SHH) are showing their promise in biomedical applications in tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. Additionally, their responses can be controlled via external stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, pressure, or radiation). Identifying a suitable combination of viscous and elastic materials, lipophilicity and biocompatibility are crucial challenges in the development of SHH. Furthermore, the trade-off relation between the healing performance and the mechanical toughness also limits their real-time applications. Additionally, short-term and long-term effects of many SHH in the in vivo model are yet to be reported. This review will discuss the mechanism of various SHH, their recent advancements, and their challenges in tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery.

Cellulose-derived hydrogels have emerged as game-changing materials in biomedical research, offering an exceptional combination of water absorption capacity, mechanical resilience, and innate biocompatibility.

The increasing occurrence of infectious diseases caused by antimicrobial resistance organisms urged the necessity to develop more potent, selective, and safe antimicrobial agents. The unique magnetic and tunable properties of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) make them a promising candidate for different theragnostic applications, including antimicrobial agents. Though IONPs act as a nonspecific antimicrobial agent, their antimicrobial activities are directly or indirectly linked with their synthesis methods, synthesizing precursors, size, shapes, concentration, and surface modifications. Alteration of these parameters could accelerate or decelerate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An increase in ROS role production disrupts bacterial cell walls, cell membranes, alters major biomolecules (e.g., lipids, proteins, nucleic acids), and affects metabolic processes (e.g., Krebs cycle, fatty acid synthesis, ATP synthesis, glycolysis, and mitophagy). In this review, we will investigate the antibacterial activity of bare and surface-modified IONPs and the influence of physiochemical parameters on their antibacterial activity. Additionally, we will report the potential mechanism of IONPs' action in driving this antimicrobial activity.

Achieving the ideal replacement for robust biological tissues requires biocompatible materials with a nuanced blend of characteristics, including organ specific toughness, durability, self-repairing capability, and a well-defined structure. Hydrogels, structured with high water containing 3D-crosslinked polymeric networks, present a promising avenue in biomedical applications due to their close resemblance to natural tissues. However, their mechanical performance often falls short, limiting their clinical applications. Recent research has been focused on developing biocompatible hydrogel materials for therapeutic applications. Recent advancements have spurred researchers to develop biocompatible hydrogels having acceptable mechanical toughness. While it is now possible to tailor the mechanical properties of synthetic gels to mimic those of natural tissues, critical aspects such as biocompatibility and crosslinking strategies are frequently neglected. This review scrutinizes the structural and crosslinking techniques designed to improve the toughness of hydrogels, focusing especially on innovative efforts to integrate these enhancements into natural-based hydrogels. By thoroughly examining these methodologies, the review sheds light on the complexities of strengthening hydrogels for biomedical applications and will propose valuable insights for the development of next-generation tissue substitutes.