Mesenchymal stem cells for craniofacial tissue regeneration: designing hydrogel delivery vehicles.

Craniofacial injuries require a variety of different cell types to repopulate areas of bone, cartilage, tendon, and fat. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) providea multipotent cell source for tissue engineering of this area, particularly whenthe cells are delivered via a 3D hydrogel environment. MSC differentiation into cartilage, bone, and fat has been investigated through a variety of techniques, some of which include the use of synthetic hydrogel scaffolds, integration of extracellular matrix components and other natural gel chemistries, microparticledelivery of growth factors, simultaneous mechanical stimulation, and the delivery of microRNA. This review aims to summarize the most recent studies involving thesynthesis and application of 3D hydrogels to induce the differentiation of encapsulated MSCs and their subsequent matrix production.