Advanced application of collagen-based biomaterials in tissue repair and restoration

TLDR

Collagen, a key extracellular matrix protein, is widely used in tissue engineering but its native form has limited physicochemical properties, prompting the development of processed variants for bone, cartilage, skin, and cardiovascular repair. This review aims to summarize recent advances in collagen‑based biomaterials across multiple tissue regeneration fields and to outline future prospects for bioactive collagen materials. The authors compile and analyze studies on processed collagen forms—cross‑linked, complexed, structured, mineralized, and carrier‑based—highlighting their roles in bone, cartilage, skin, and cardiovascular tissue repair. A graphical abstract summarizes the main concepts.

Abstract

Abstract In tissue engineering, bioactive materials play an important role, providing structural support, cell regulation and establishing a suitable microenvironment to promote tissue regeneration. As the main component of extracellular matrix, collagen is an important natural bioactive material and it has been widely used in scientific research and clinical applications. Collagen is available from a wide range of animal origin, it can be produced by synthesis or through recombinant protein production systems. The use of pure collagen has inherent disadvantages in terms of physico-chemical properties. For this reason, a processed collagen in different ways can better match the specific requirements as biomaterial for tissue repair. Here, collagen may be used in bone/cartilage regeneration, skin regeneration, cardiovascular repair and other fields, by following different processing methods, including cross-linked collagen, complex, structured collagen, mineralized collagen, carrier and other forms, promoting the development of tissue engineering. This review summarizes a wide range of applications of collagen-based biomaterials and their recent progress in several tissue regeneration fields. Furthermore, the application prospect of bioactive materials based on collagen was outlooked, aiming at inspiring more new progress and advancements in tissue engineering research. Graphical Abstract