| Resumo: | Hydrogels, due to their hygroscopic nature, have been widely used as wound dressings. Because hydrogels resemble native extracellular matrix (ECM), newer developments aim at recreating three-dimensional ECM-like microenvironments. In general, current hydrogels show limited molecular diffusion and cell binding sites. Spongy-like hydrogels, based on gellan gum polysaccharide, produced by a sequential advanced processing methodology, reunite the benefits of hydrogels along with the capacity to control specific cell behavior. These structures can be stored as dried networks that after re-hydration with a solution containing cells and/or bioactive molecules form the spongy-like hydrogels. Spongy-like hydrogels show improved physical stability, flexibility, viscoelasticity and facilitated manipulation in the incorporation of bioactive molecules and/or cells, in comparison to traditional hydrogels. These characteristics make spongy-like hydrogels attractive for skin regeneration purposes. In this chapter we present the work leading to spongy-like hydrogels, highlighting the possibility of fine-tuning their properties, effects of incorporating hyaluronic acid, stem cells and adult skin cells to meet the demands of specific wound types.Â
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