Development of decellularized matrix-based stimuli-responsive materials: A new dawn in smart medicine

Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) have gained significant attention in biomedical and therapeutic field due to their tissue-specific composition, maintained ultrastructure and natural bioactivity. Although they offer various benefits, traditional dECM scaffolds are mostly passive and cannot respond to the changes in the physiological environment. The integration of dECM with stimuli-responsive materials has shown potential to fabricate smart tunable biomaterials that allow more controlled responses at physiological, cellular responses and therapeutic results. This review highlights the recent advances in the development of stimuli-responsive dECM systems engineered to respond to physical and chemical cues like mechanical forces, light, pH, electrical, magnetic fields and temperature. The main emphasis is on the key material engineering strategies such as hybridisation with conductive polymers, incorporation of functional nanomaterials, chemical modification of matrix components and fabrication of injectable and 3D-printable dECM constructs and how these approaches affect the cell fate, tissue remodelling, and regeneration. Collectively, this review discusses key mechanistic pathways, translational challenges and emerging design strategies, marking a new era in translating stimuli-responsive dECM systems into clinical practice.