Research focus and application advantages in encapsulating biomaterial for islet transplantation / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Currently, it was confirmed that encapsulating islets with natural or synthetic biomaterials to form a barrier with the function of immune isolation can not only reduce the systematic use of immunosuppressive agents to a certain extent, but also make heterogenous islet transplantation possible. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the research progress of the biomaterials for islet transplantation, describe several models for encapsulating islet, and eventually discuss current research focus and prospects of islets encapsulating models. METHODS: The authors searched PubMed and Web of Science databases with the search terms “islet encapsulation, islet transplantation biomaterials, islet transplantation hydrogel” for relevant papers published. Initially, a total of 447 papers were retrieved, and 89 of them were included in the final analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There are two main deficiencies in islet encapsulation for transplantation one is the attack of immune rejection by the recipient; the other is the shortage of supply of oxygen and nutrient. Encapsulation of islet with a single material, synthetic or natural biomaterial, cannot address the two issues mentioned above. Herein, the biomaterial used for islet encapsulation must be modified. Current islet hydrogel models tend to combine synthetic biomaterials with natural biomaterials to take full advantage of the two kinds of biomaterials. In addition, immune-regulating drugs, angiogenic factors, or factors promoting the survival or function of islets can also be incorporated into the biomaterial. Besides, other cells can be involved to co-transplant with islets in the hydrogel. How to incorporate various strategies for addressing the above issues properly is the key of future research.