Smart Materials in Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Up to now, enormous smart materials have been engineered with physical stimulators such as temperature, electric field, magnetic field, light, ultrasound, mechanical stimuli, chemical stimulators such as pH and reduction, or biological stimulators such as antigen glucose and enzyme in regenerative medicine. Smart materials have numerous properties, such as responding to controlled drug release, “ON-OFF” switch activities, prolonged blood circulation, ability to specific triggers, enhanced diagnostic accuracy, increased tumor accumulation, and therapeutic efficacy. In this review, notable research achievements of smart materials responsive to various stimuli involving responsive mechanisms and applications are summarized and discussed separately.