Effects of hydrogel stiffness and viscoelasticity on organoid culture: a comprehensive review

Abstract As an emerging technology, organoids are promising new tools for basic and translational research in disease. Currently, the culture of organoids relies mainly on a type of unknown composition scaffold, namely Matrigel, which may pose problems in studying the effect of mechanical properties...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wei Lai, Hu Geliang, Xu Bin, Wei Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:Molecular Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s10020-025-01131-7
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract As an emerging technology, organoids are promising new tools for basic and translational research in disease. Currently, the culture of organoids relies mainly on a type of unknown composition scaffold, namely Matrigel, which may pose problems in studying the effect of mechanical properties on organoids. Hydrogels, a new material with adjustable mechanical properties, can adapt to current studies. In this review, we summarized the synthesis of recent advance in developing definite hydrogel scaffolds for organoid culture and identified the critical parameters for regulating mechanical properties. In addition, classified by different mechanical properties like stiffness and viscoelasticity, we concluded the effect of mechanical properties on the development of organoids and tumor organoids. We hope this review enhances the understanding of the development of organoids by hydrogels and provides more practical approaches to investigating them.
ISSN:1528-3658