Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of protein, polysaccharide and hybrid hydrogels

Hydrogel	Advantages	Disadvantages	Ref.
Proteins	Natural origin Provide ligands recognized by cells Biocompatible Encourage cell proliferation. Physical crosslinking Ideal for cell dynamics and migration Angiogenesis promotion in MCTS systems	Batch‐to‐batch variations Low mechanical properties Contamination risk	[ 15 , 18 , 19 , 40 ]
Polysaccharides	Natural origin Cell encapsulation appropriate Biodegradable Biocompatible, non‐toxic Easily functionalized Some are bioadhesive Structural support of cells Mild gelation conditions	Batch‐to‐batch variations Lack of cell adhesive ligands Low mechanical properties Might develop necrotic cores	[ 24 , 27 , 28 , 40 , 41 ]
Hybrids	Improve mechanical properties Improved pore interconnectivity Cell adhesion sites available Tunable characteristics Realistic recapitulation of tissue stiffness Good pore interconnectivity	Batch‐to‐batch variationsCrosslinking mechanisms may be difficult to achieve May be difficult to tune physicochemical characteristics	[ 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 39 ]