Review Article | Open Access

Volume 2021 |Article ID 9890319 | https://doi.org/10.34133/2021/9890319

Tissue Regeneration with Hydrogel Encapsulation: A Review of Developments in Plants and Animals

Srikumar KrishnamoorthyiD ,¹ Michael F. Schwartz,¹ Lisa Van den BroeckiD ,¹ Aitch HuntiD ,¹ Timothy J. Horn,² and Rosangela Sozzani ¹

¹Plant and Microbial Biology Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
²Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

Abstract

Hydrogel encapsulation has been widely utilized in the study of fundamental cellular mechanisms and has been shown to provide a better representation of the complex in vivo microenvironment in natural biological conditions of mammalian cells. In this review, we provide a background into the adoption of hydrogel encapsulation methods in the study of mammalian cells, highlight some key findings that may aid with the adoption of similar methods for the study of plant cells, including the potential challenges and considerations, and discuss key findings of studies that have utilized these methods in plant sciences.