Advanced Functional Materials and Cell‐Based Therapies for the Treatment of Ischemic Stroke and Postischemic Stroke Effects

Abstract

Ischemic stroke is considered one of the most threatening neurological disorders with high percentages of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although in recent years, several nanotechnological advances have improved the survival rates, severe untreated poststroke side‐effects continue to significantly influence the way of life of many. Tissue plasminogen activator and mechanical thrombectomy are considered the gold standards for the treatment of acute cerebral ischemia. These, however, fail to improve postischemic disorders. Herein, after a brief description of the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke and the following biochemical cascade, the most recent biomaterial and cell‐based strategies are reviewed for its treatment. Other therapeutics that have been proposed not only for the treatment of cerebral ischemia but also for the regeneration of the infarcted brain that is responsible for a variety of disorders, including cognitive, motor, and speech problems are also presented. Finally, a few reported studies on diagnostic and theranostic nanostructures are also provided.

Biomedical Application of Reactive Oxygen Species–Responsive Nanocarriers in Cancer, Inflammation, and Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…High levels of ROS cause detrimental effects on neurons and tissue injury at ischemic sites (Benjamin et al, 2017 ). Therefore, reducing oxidative stress is a prospective therapeutic approach for ischemic stroke (Panagiotou and Saha, 2015 ; Amani et al, 2017 ; Liu et al, 2017b ; Lv et al, 2018 ; He et al, 2020 ; Tapeinos et al, 2020 ). Indeed, many ROS-responsive nanocarriers have been developed for the treatment of ischemic stroke (Lu et al, 2016 , 2019 ; Jiang et al, 2019 ).…”

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“…These mediators act on leukocytes, and they promote the transendothelial migration of circulating leukocytes 4 . Leukocyte infiltration is characterized by leukocyte-endothelial interaction, leukocyte activation resulting in an accumulation in the vascular bed, followed by leukocyte extravasation into the interstitial space 24 . Reactive oxygen species are the major components to cause tissue injury in ischemia-reperfusion injury, further reactive oxygen species activate the leukocytes leading to inflammation.…”

Graphene‐Based Nanotechnology in Neurodegenerative Disorders

“…Following the same rationale, hydrogels made of extracellular matrix (ECM)‐based components are a preferential strategy for ND treatment since they allow the delivery, support, and growth of neural stem cells (SCs). [ 7 ] These ECM‐based hydrogels present high biocompatibility and low immunogenicity, and to date, they have shown promising results for numerous brain disorders. Nonetheless, these hydrogels lack proper mechanical strength and electrical conductivity.…”