Perspectives on the Novel Multifunctional Nerve Guidance Conduits: From Specific Regenerative Procedures to Motor Function Rebuilding

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injury potentially destroys the quality of life by inducing functional movement disorders and sensory capacity loss, which results in severe disability and substantial psychological, social, and financial burdens. Autologous nerve grafting has been commonly used as treatment in the clinic; however, its rare donor availability limits its application. A series of artificial nerve guidance conduits (NGC) with advanced architectures have also been proposed to promote injured peripheral nerve regeneration, which is a complicated process from axon sprouting to targeted muscle reinnervation. Therefore, exploring the interactions between sophisticated NGC complexes and versatile cells during each process including axon sprouting, Schwann cell dedifferentiation, nerve myelination, and muscle reinnervation is necessary. This review highlights the contribution of functional NGCs and the influence of microscale biomaterial architecture on biological processes of nerve repair. Progressive NGCs with chemical molecule induction, heterogeneous topographical morphology, electroactive, anisotropic assembly microstructure, and self‐powered electroactive and magnetic‐sensitive NGCs were also collected, and they are expected to be pioneering features in future multifunctional and effective NGCs.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Mitigating Critical Peripheral Nerve Deficit Therapy with Reactive Oxygen Species/Ca2+-Responsive Dynamic Hydrogel-Mediated mRNA Delivery

“…Hence, the safety of nerve conduits holds paramount importance, diminishing patient suffering, reducing superfluous medical expenses, and bolstering patient confidence in the treatment. Researchers have diligently strived to advance materials, encompassing biodegradable elements, polymers, and biomaterials, to augment the stability and biocompatibility of these conduits. − Employing medical-grade polymers and biodegradable materials like polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), collagen, and sericin proteins, in conjunction with bioengineering and three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies, has facilitated the crafting of guiding conduits endowed with tailored shapes and pore structures. These attributes bestow appropriate mechanical and surface properties, affording enhanced protection to nerve axons against mechanical and stress-induced damage, thereby elevating conduits safety.…”

Engineering cell-derived extracellular matrix for peripheral nerve regeneration

“…It is imperative to develop new feasible nerve grafts as alternatives for the treatment of PNI. With the development of material science and tissue engineering, numerous artificial nerve grafts made by various synthetic and natural biomaterials have been devised [ [8] , [9] , [10] ]. Because of their low cell affinity and poor hydrophilicity, synthetic biomaterials are difficult to obtain neurotherapeutic functions comparable to natural biomaterials, and have therefore been gradually replaced by the latter [ 11 , 12 ].…”