Biomaterials for Neural Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The therapy of neural nerve injuries that involve the disruption of axonal pathways or axonal tracts has taken a new dimension with the development of tissue engineering techniques. When peripheral nerve injury (PNI), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or neurodegenerative disease occur, the intricate architecture undergoes alterations leading to growth inhibition and loss of guidance through large distance. To improve the limitations of purely cell-based therapies, the neural tissue engineering philosophy has emerged. Efforts are being made to produce an ideal scaffold based on synthetic and natural polymers that match the exact biological and mechanical properties of the tissue. Furthermore, through combining several components (biomaterials, cells, molecules), axonal regrowth is facilitated to obtain a functional recovery of the neural nerve diseases. The main objective of this review is to investigate the recent approaches and applications of neural tissue engineering approaches.

Genipin-Crosslinked, Proteosaccharide Scaffolds for Potential Neural Tissue Engineering Applications

“…Furthermore, gelatin-rich constructs support the prolonged proliferation of stem cells and multiple neurons along with their plasticity [12]. Gelatin, however, dissolves rapidly in an aqueous environment, thus necessitating crosslinking [13]. Physical crosslinking of these polymers is advantageous, as they do not cause potential harm; however, the desired degree of crosslinking can be difficult to obtain.…”

High-Resolution Imaging for the Analysis and Reconstruction of 3D Microenvironments for Regenerative Medicine: An Application-Focused Review

“…Regenerative approaches for nervous system injuries address crucial challenges, particularly since both the central and peripheral nervous systems have limited capacity for self-regeneration. Neural tissue engineering has sought to provide biocompatible structures that can be integrated into the surrounding tissue and can lead to recovery of functionality [ 82 ]. Both natural and synthetic biomaterials have been used to create scaffolds; visualisation of those scaffolds and the generated nerve tissue remains challenging.…”

The role of mechanobiology on the Schwann cell response: A tissue engineering perspective

“…Neural tissue engineering takes advantage of a large number of different biofabrication techniques, as well as biomaterials in order to create three-dimensional scaffolds and structures that can be used to facilitate regeneration (Boni et al, 2018 ; Papadimitriou et al, 2020 ; Doblado et al, 2021 ; Scaccini et al, 2021 ). The aim when creating scaffolds for such purposes is to mimic the physiological environment as closely as possible and provide the necessary cues to promote repair while ensuring that no localised toxicity or immune reaction is induced (Crupi et al, 2015 ; Doblado et al, 2021 ). It is well known that SCs are inextricably connected to their extracellular environment (Rosso et al, 2017 ).…”