Polyphenols are micronutrients obtained from diet that have been suggested to play an important role in health. The health benefits of polyphenols and their protective effects in food systems as antioxidant compounds are well known and have been extensively investigated. However, their functional roles as a “processing cofactor” in tissue engineering applications are less widely known. This review focuses on the functionality of polyphenols and their application in biomaterials. Polyphenols have been used to stabilize collagen and to improve its resistance to degradation in biological systems. Therefore, they have been proposed to improve the performance of biomedical devices used in cardiovascular systems by improving the mechanical properties of grafted heart valves, enhancing microcirculation through the relaxation of the arterial walls and improving the capillary blood flow and pressure resistance. Polyphenols have been found to stimulate bone formation, mineralization, as well as the proliferation, differentiation, and the survival of osteoblasts. These effects are brought about by the stimulatory effect of polyphenols on osteoblast cells and their protective effect against oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. In addition, polyphenols inhibit the differentiation of the osteoclast cells. Collectively, these actions lead to promote bone formation and to reduce bone resorption, respectively. Moreover, polyphenols can increase the cross-linking of dentine and hence its mechanical stability. Overall, polyphenols provide interesting properties that will stimulate further research in the bioengineering field.

多酚是从饮食中获得的微量营养素，已被认为对健康发挥着重要作用。多酚的健康益处及其作为抗氧化剂化合物在食品系统中的保护作用是众所周知的，并已得到广泛研究。然而，它们在组织工程应用中作为“加工辅助因子”的功能作用却鲜为人知。本综述重点关注多酚的功能及其在生物材料中的应用。多酚已被用来稳定胶原蛋白并提高其在生物系统中的抗降解性。因此，他们提出通过改善移植心脏瓣膜的机械性能、通过松弛动脉壁增强微循环以及改善毛细血管血流和耐压能力来提高心血管系统中使用的生物医学装置的性能。人们发现多酚可以刺激骨形成、矿化以及成骨细胞的增殖、分化和存活。这些作用是由多酚对成骨细胞的刺激作用及其对氧化应激和炎症细胞因子的保护作用带来的。此外，多酚抑制破骨细胞的分化。总的来说，这些作用分别导致促进骨形成和减少骨吸收。此外，多酚可以增加牙本质的交联，从而提高其机械稳定性。总体而言，多酚提供了有趣的特性，将刺激生物工程领域的进一步研究。