Tissue-Engineered Injectable Gelatin–Methacryloyl Hydrogel-Based Adjunctive Therapy for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels are photosensitive with good biocompatibility and adjustable mechanical properties. The GelMA hydrogel composite system is a prospective therapeutic material based on a tissue engineering platform for treating intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD). The potential application value of the GelMA hydrogel composite system in the treatment of IVDD mainly includes three aspects: first, optimization of the current clinical treatment methods, including conservative treatment and surgical treatment; second, regeneration of IVD cells to reverse or repair IVDD; and finally, IVDD instead of injury plays a biomechanical role. In this paper, we summarized and analyzed the preparation of GelMA hydrogels and their excellent biological characteristics as carriers and comprehensively demonstrated the research status and prospects of GelMA hydrogel composite systems in IVDD treatment. In addition, the challenges facing the application of GelMA hydrogel composite systems and the progress of research on new hydrogels modified by GelMA hydrogels are presented. Hopefully, this study will provide theoretical guidance for the future application of GelMA hydrogel composite systems in IVDD.