Spatiotemporally programmed tissue regeneration via visible-light-responsive hydrogels: Biosafety-oriented design and applications.

Tingting Yang, Xiaolu Shi, Yihan Wang, Mingrui Zhang, Hongna Li, Ting Zhu, Jingjie Zhai, Huixin Lv

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Materials today. Bio, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tingting YangDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Xiaolu ShiDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Yihan WangDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Mingrui ZhangDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Hongna LiDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Ting ZhuDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Jingjie ZhaiDepartment of Oral Implantology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Huixin LvDepartment of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, 100081, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tissue engineering requires biomaterial systems that can be regulated with high spatiotemporal precision in complex physiological environments. Among stimulus-responsive biomaterials, photoresponsive hydrogels are especially attractive because they enable non-contact control over gelation, degradation, mechanics, and cargo release. However, most existing reviews discuss photoresponsive hydrogels as a broad class and pay limited attention to how different optical windows shape biological applicability. In particular, visible-light-responsive hydrogels have rarely been examined as a distinct category within a biosafety-oriented design framework, despite biosafety being central to their translational potential in tissue engineering. This distinction is important because light influences not only material transformation, but also cytocompatibility and in vivo feasibility. UV-responsive systems are often limited by shallow penetration and phototoxicity, whereas many near-infrared-responsive systems rely on indirect activation processes that may introduce thermal burden, formulation complexity, or reduced efficiency. By contrast, visible light offers a favorable balance between reaction efficiency, tissue accessibility, and biological tolerance, making it well suited for in situ gelation and localized regenerative therapy. In this review, we summarize the key photochemical mechanisms, material design strategies, and representative tissue engineering applications of visible-light-responsive hydrogels, and highlight current challenges and future directions from a biosafety-oriented perspective.

Identifiers

PMID42199356

DOI10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.103170

PMCPMC13199901

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.