Advances in recombinant elastin for high-elasticity soft tissue engineering

Elastin is a vital extracellular matrix protein that plays a central role in maintaining tissue elasticity and function in the skin, blood vessels, lungs, and other connective tissues. Owing to its unique biological properties, elastin has attracted increasing attention for biomedical and regenerative applications. However, the widespread biomedical application of native elastin is severely limited by difficulties in extraction, limited availability, and potential immunogenicity. In recent years, recombinant elastin has been developed through synthetic biology. As a novel biomaterial, recombinant elastin enables tunable structures and properties through sequence design and shows distinct advantages in soft tissue engineering materials. Although previous reviews have discussed recombinant elastin and elastin-like biomaterials, an integrated analysis linking molecular design, fabrication strategies, mechanical performance, and tissue-specific regeneration in highly elastic soft tissues remains limited. This review summarizes the properties, expression systems, and purification methods of recombinant elastin. It also highlights recent advances in the fabrication of multiscale scaffolds using cross-linking, electrospinning, self-assembly, and 3D bioprinting, as well as their applications in cardiovascular tissue engineering, skin repair, and lung tissue engineering. Future research should focus on the coordinated advancement of material design, fabrication processes, and clinical translation to promote the transition of recombinant elastin from experimental materials to applicable systems for complex soft tissue repair. Overall, recombinant elastin provides a promising material basis with tunable properties and good biocompatibility for high-elasticity soft tissue regeneration, with significant potential for further clinical translation.