Carbohydrate-Based Hydrogels: Weaving Nature's Versatility into Biomedical Innovation.

Abstract

During the past few years, the development of innovative hydrogels for biomedical applications has undergone significant advancements. Among the diverse classes of soft biomaterials, carbohydrate-based hydrogels have attracted particular attention due to their intrinsic biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high versatility in chemical modification. Their structural diversity enables finely tunable biological interactions, and recent approaches increasingly focus on receptor-mediated targeting to improve cellular recognition and therapeutic precision. These properties position carbohydrate-based hydrogels as promising platforms in three major application areas: drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing. In addition, their high water-retention capacity supports favourable healing environments and allows sustained drug release, while their natural origin helps reduce production costs and environmental impact. Despite these advantages, important challenges remain-such as achieving controlled degradation, ensuring long-term mechanical stability, and balancing bioactivity with safety-to fully exploit their clinical potential. To better align with emerging trends, this review also highlights recent advancements involving the integration of carbohydrate-based hydrogels with smart materials and nanocomposites, which are expected to further enhance their performance and expand their biomedical applications. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive overview of current progress in carbohydrate-based hydrogels, emphasizing their bio-interactions, existing limitations, and future directions in this rapidly evolving field.