Advancements in Hyaluronic acid-containing Scaffolds in Stem Cell Therapy: Current Trends and Future Aspects

Various clinical trials are underway to investigate the application of stem cells in the treatment of cancer, degenerative diseases, and repairing tissues. Stem cell transplantation is an established and growing method in regenerative medicine that includes autologous and allogeneic transplantation. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG), which can be produced naturally by some bacterial strains such as Streptococcus zooepidemicus, and also by using recombinant cells like Bacillus subtilis and Corynebacterium glutamicum. HA is inside the human body and has shown promising attributes in the area of stem cell-based tissue engineering (TE). HA can have interactions with stem cells by cellular surface receptors that induce cell differentiation and its hydrophilic nature promotes a hydrated microenvironment that protects the stem cells from desiccation and mechanical stress. HA versatility in hydrogels, nanofibers, and three-dimensional (3D) materials resulted in numerous applications of HA-containing scaffolds in medicine that is expanded from bone and cartilage regeneration to dermal fillers and gene expression regulation. This review investigates the effect of HA scaffolds on stem cell therapies and discusses several studies on HA applications in regenerative medicine. Advanced projects are required to improve our knowledge and discover new applications of HA scaffolds in tissue engineering.