Acute kidney injury is a worldwide public health issue, and its treatment and management strategies continue to advance. In addition to traditional kidney replacement therapy, research in recent years has been focused on whole organ engineering and biofabrication of kidney assistive devices and bioinjections for in-body regeneration. Hydrogel materials show great potential in renal tissue engineering because of their good biocompatibility, thermal stability and controllable biochemical and mechanical properties. This article reviews the application of various hydrogel materials in renal tissue engineering to promote kidney regeneration and discusses the characteristics and applications of natural hydrogels and synthetic hydrogels, which is expected to further promote their clinical applications.
