Hydrogel-Based Vascularized Organ Tissue Engineering: A Systematized Review on Abdominal Organs

Background: Biomedical engineering, especially tissue engineering, is trying to provide an alternative solution to generate functional organs/tissues for use in various applications. These include beyond the final goal of transplantation, disease modeling and drug discovery as well. The aim of this study is to comprehensively review the existing literature on hydrogel-based vascularized organ (i.e., liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestine, stomach and spleen) tissue engineering of the abdominal organs. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on the Scopus database (latest search 1 September 2024). The research studies including hydrogel-based vascularized organ tissue engineering in the organs examined here were eligible for the review. Results: Herein, 18 studies were included. Specifically, 10 studies included the liver or hepatic tissue, 5 studies included the pancreas or pancreatic islet tissue, 3 studies included the kidney or renal tissue, 1 study included the intestine or intestinal or bowel tissue, 1 study included the stomach or gastric tissue, and 0 studies included spleen tissue. Conclusion: Hydrogels are biocompatible materials with ideal characteristics for use as scaffolds. Even though organ tissue engineering is a rapidly growing field, there are still many obstacles to overcome to create a fully functional and long-lasting organ.