Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (585 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Two-phase systems in which one is uniformly dispersed in another as particles small enough so they cannot be filtered or will not settle out. The dispersing or continuous phase or medium envelops the particles of the discontinuous phase. All three states of matter can form colloids among each other.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Colloid; Hydrocolloids; Hydrocolloid.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Complex Mixtures; Dosage Forms
- Narrower topics
- Aerosols; Emulsions; Gels; Suspensions
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 184,013 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Colloids” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 57,652 of them (31.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2020 onward with 57,652 records.
Reviews account for 12,643 records (6.9%) and meta-analyses for 356. Randomized controlled trials number 6,610 (3.6%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 45,212 |
| 2000-2009 | 28,418 |
| 2010-2019 | 52,731 |
| 2020 onward | 57,652 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 12,643 | 6.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 356 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 6,610 | 3.6% |
Method: PubMed query "Colloids"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailored Nanogel Network Topology Enables Clinical Ultrasound-Induced Mechanochemical Activation for In Vivo Therapy | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42183674 · DOI · PMC13382917 |
| Hydrogels: current biomedical applications and future directions | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42545667 · DOI · PMC13433736 |
| MOF-Integrated Self-Healing Schiff Base Hydrogel for Antibacterial and Antioxidant Wound Treatment | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42278257 · DOI · PMC13256448 |
Tailored Nanogel Network Topology Enables Clinical Ultrasound-Induced Mechanochemical Activation for In Vivo Therapy [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Polymer mechanochemistry enables the selective mechanophore activation for precise molecular release.
- Closing excerpt
- This work establishes network topology engineering as a general strategy for programming mechanochemistry, and opens new opportunities for the in vivo biomedical applications of polymer mechanochemistry.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (195 words)
Polymer mechanochemistry enables the selective mechanophore activation for precise molecular release. However, this field has long relied on the strong cavitation effects of low-frequency ultrasound, which are incompatible with clinically high-frequency ultrasound (> 1 MHz), hindering its biomedical applications. Herein, we report a nanogel network topology-programmed mechanochemical strategy, enabling iterative activation of mechanophores under high-frequency (up to 2.4 MHz) and low-intensity (down to 2 W/cm2) ultrasound. By introducing network topology as a design parameter, we established the relationship between nanogel topology, ultrasound frequency, and mechanochemical activity, revealing that distinct network topologies selectively accumulate mechanical forces under different ultrasound frequencies. Meanwhile, the thermal effect of high-frequency ultrasound lowers the activation barrier of mechanophores, further promoting their efficient activation. Remarkably, under high-frequency ultrasound, nanogels achieve an activation rate of 12.6%/min, placing it among the most efficient activation systems reported to date. Importantly, combining nanogels with clinical low-intensity focused ultrasound, we developed a new ultrasound-mediated therapeutic paradigm-synergistic sonothermal and mechanochemical therapy, achieving complete elimination of advanced tumors with a single short treatment. This work establishes network topology engineering as a general strategy for programming mechanochemistry, and opens new opportunities for the in vivo biomedical applications of polymer mechanochemistry.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42183674 · DOI · PMC13382917
Hydrogels: current biomedical applications and future directions [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Hydrogels are highly hydrated three-dimensional polymeric network materials that have attracted considerable attention in medical and biomedical fields owing to their favorable chemical modifiability, physical tunability, biocompatibility, and capacity to mimic key features of native extracellular matrices.
- Closing excerpt
- Finally, we discuss the developmental potential of hydrogels in biomedicine and present an integrated perspective on their clinical translation prospects, with the aim of offering references and insights for the further application of hydrogel materials in future human disease treatment.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (248 words)
Hydrogels are highly hydrated three-dimensional polymeric network materials that have attracted considerable attention in medical and biomedical fields owing to their favorable chemical modifiability, physical tunability, biocompatibility, and capacity to mimic key features of native extracellular matrices. With advances in polymer chemistry, crosslinking strategies, stimuli-responsive design, and emerging fabrication technologies, hydrogels have evolved from simple soft materials into multifunctional biomedical systems capable of integrating controlled delivery, tissue support, microenvironmental regulation, biosensing, and disease modeling. These properties make hydrogels particularly relevant for addressing a broad spectrum of human diseases in which conventional therapeutic strategies are often limited by insufficient targeting efficiency, limited therapeutic windows, pronounced systemic side effects, and inadequate restoration of damaged tissue structure and function. In this review, we systematically summarize the design principles and material engineering strategies of hydrogels, including structural construction approaches and functional regulation concepts. We then provide a comprehensive overview of their current biomedical applications, encompassing drug delivery systems, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, biosensing and diagnostic platforms, as well as cell culture and organoid systems. Building on this foundation, we place particular emphasis on recent progress in hydrogel-based therapeutic strategies across diverse human disease contexts, including wound healing, musculoskeletal system repair, cancer, neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, and reproductive system diseases. Finally, we discuss the developmental potential of hydrogels in biomedicine and present an integrated perspective on their clinical translation prospects, with the aim of offering references and insights for the further application of hydrogel materials in future human disease treatment.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42545667 · DOI · PMC13433736
MOF-Integrated Self-Healing Schiff Base Hydrogel for Antibacterial and Antioxidant Wound Treatment [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Chronic wound healing disorders are closely associated with microenvironmental imbalance, while traditional dressings fail to meet dynamic therapeutic demands due to limited functionality, poor responsiveness, and lack of controlled drug release.
- Closing excerpt
- These results highlight its potential as a multifunctional and responsive dressing for chronic wound management.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (142 words)
Chronic wound healing disorders are closely associated with microenvironmental imbalance, while traditional dressings fail to meet dynamic therapeutic demands due to limited functionality, poor responsiveness, and lack of controlled drug release. In this study, a smart hydrogel dressing was developed by integrating curcumin/Cu2+ co-loaded UiO-66-NH2 metal-organic frameworks into a dynamically cross-linked oxidized hyaluronic acid/carboxymethyl chitosan (OHA-CMCS) network via Schiff base bonding. The MOFs served as a "one-carrier-dual-function" platform, enabling simultaneous delivery of Cu2+ and curcumin. The resulting Cur/Cu-MOF@OHA-CMCS hydrogel exhibited a porous structure, excellent self-healing ability, injectability, and favorable rheological and mechanical properties. Additionally, it showed pH-responsive degradation behavior and sustained drug release (~71% within 7 days). The hydrogel demonstrated effective anti-bacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, along with good cytocompatibility (>70% cell viability). These results highlight its potential as a multifunctional and responsive dressing for chronic wound management.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42278257 · DOI · PMC13256448
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Crystalloids vs. colloids in fluid resuscitation: a systematic review [4]
- Research article Fluid resuscitation in sepsis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients [6]
- Research article Cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes: A systematic review and meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill people [8]
- Research article Heterogeneity in transmissibility and shedding SARS-CoV-2 via droplets and aerosols [9]
References
- Li H, Song F, Hu X, Jing L, Shuai Q, Su W, et al.. Tailored Nanogel Network Topology Enables Clinical Ultrasound-Induced Mechanochemical Activation for In Vivo Therapy. . 2026. PMID 42183674 · DOI · PMC13382917
- Wu H, Piao G, Chen Q, Luo W, Liu J, Lan Y, et al.. Hydrogels: current biomedical applications and future directions. . 2026. PMID 42545667 · DOI · PMC13433736
- Zhao P, Zhu R, Wang C, Wang L, Fan HS. MOF-Integrated Self-Healing Schiff Base Hydrogel for Antibacterial and Antioxidant Wound Treatment. . 2026. PMID 42278257 · DOI · PMC13256448
- Choi PT, Yip G, Quinonez LG, Cook DJ. Crystalloids vs. colloids in fluid resuscitation: a systematic review. Crit Care Med. 1999. PMID 9934917 · DOI
- Rochwerg B, Alhazzani W, Sindi A, Heels-Ansdell D, Thabane L, Fox-Robichaud A, et al.. Fluid resuscitation in sepsis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2014. PMID 25047428 · DOI
- Perel P, Roberts I, Ker K. Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013. PMID 23450531 · DOI
- Skotsimara G, Antonopoulos AS, Oikonomou E, Siasos G, Ioakeimidis N, Tsalamandris S, et al.. Cardiovascular effects of electronic cigarettes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019. PMID 30823865 · DOI
- Lewis SR, Pritchard MW, Evans DJ, Butler AR, Alderson P, Smith AF, et al.. Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018. PMID 30073665 · DOI · PMC6513027
- Chen PZ, Bobrovitz N, Premji Z, Koopmans M, Fisman DN, Gu FX. Heterogeneity in transmissibility and shedding SARS-CoV-2 via droplets and aerosols. Elife. 2021. PMID 33861198 · DOI · PMC8139838
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.