Hydrogels in Intervertebral Disk (IVD) Repair

Hydrogels exhibit a versatile and effective performance in tissue engineering applications. Having a wide choice of starting material, ease of functionalizing, tuneable mechanic properties and the capability of mimicking natural extracellular matrix components make the hydrogels frequently used in regenerative medicine, especially for soft tissues. One of those soft tissues, intervertebral discs (IVDs) are avascular structures located between two vertebras, which have key roles such as shock absorber, and biomechanical stabilizer. When the IVDs are damaged or degenerated, a painful condition occurs due to chronic back pain of the patient. The great resemblance in mechanical and chemical structures between the IVD matrix and hydrogels, especially naturally based ones, has been intensively studied in the past decades. This chapter reviews the hydrogel studies for IVD repair.