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Review
. 2019 Aug;14(8):1352-1363.
doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.253512.

Role and prospects of regenerative biomaterials in the repair of spinal cord injury

Shuo Liu  1 , Yuan-Yuan Xie  1 , Bin Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Role and prospects of regenerative biomaterials in the repair of spinal cord injury

Shuo Liu et al. Neural Regen Res. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Axonal junction defects and an inhibitory environment after spinal cord injury seriously hinder the regeneration of damaged tissues and neuronal functions. At the site of spinal cord injury, regenerative biomaterials can fill cavities, deliver curative drugs, and provide adsorption sites for transplanted or host cells. Some regenerative biomaterials can also inhibit apoptosis, inflammation and glial scar formation, or further promote neurogenesis, axonal growth and angiogenesis. This review summarized a variety of biomaterial scaffolds made of natural, synthetic, and combined materials applied to spinal cord injury repair. Although these biomaterial scaffolds have shown a certain therapeutic effect in spinal cord injury repair, there are still many problems to be resolved, such as product standards and material safety and effectiveness.

Keywords: combination; functional recovery; microenvironment; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; regeneration; regenerative biomaterials; repair strategy; scaffolds; spinal cord injury; tissue engineering; transplantation.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pathological and physiological changes of spinal cord injury. The initial trauma leads to the rupture of spinal cord nerve tracts, apoptosis, necrosis of neurons, and destruction of blood vessels in the tissue. Secondary injury brings a series of complications, including oxidative stress, inflammatory cell infiltration, spinal cord edema, liquid-filled cavity and glial scars.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Experimental strategies to stop injury progression and promote the repair of spinal cord injury.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Microenvironment of the spinal cord. (A) Nerve transmission in the spinal cord. Enlargement of boxed area in A is shown in (B). Oligodendrocytes encapsulate axons. Some astrocyte end feet attach to adjacent neurons and capillary walls. (C) Predominant components of the neural extracellular matrix. Hyaluronic acid is the main component of the neural extracellular matrix. Lecticans can bind hyaluronic acid and secrete extracellular matrix proteins and cell-surface receptors. Link proteins play an important role in axon guidance and synapse formation. Trophic factors, tenascin and proteoglycan have a positive effect on the growth of nerve cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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