Microfluidic Manipulation for Biomedical Applications in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems

Abstract

Physical injuries and neurodegenerative diseases often lead to irreversible damage to the organizational structure of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS), culminating in physiological malfunctions. Investigating these complex and diverse biological processes at the macro and micro levels will help to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with nerve degeneration and regeneration, thereby providing new options for the development of new therapeutic strategies for the functional recovery of the nervous system. Due to their distinct advantages, modern microfluidic platforms have significant potential for high-throughput cell and organoid cultures in vitro, the synthesis of a variety of tissue engineering scaffolds and drug carriers, and observing the delivery of drugs at the desired speed to the desired location in real time. In this review, we first introduce the types of nerve damage and the repair mechanisms of the CNS and PNS; then, we summarize the development of microfluidic platforms and their application in drug carriers. We also describe a variety of damage models, tissue engineering scaffolds, and drug carriers for nerve injury repair based on the application of microfluidic platforms. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges and future perspectives with regard to the promotion of nerve injury repair based on engineered microfluidic platform technology.

Peripheral nerve injury repair by electrical stimulation combined with graphene-based scaffolds

“…The inflammatory response is likewise an important aspect of peripheral nerve regeneration ( Klimovich et al, 2021 ). In the early stage of injury, M1 macrophages (pro-inflammatory) are mainly recruited, which can enhance the inflammatory response and promote tissue necrosis; in the later stage, M2 macrophages (anti-inflammatory) play a crucial role in effectively responding to hypoxia, increasing the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and leading to the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells to the injured site ( Cattin et al, 2015 ; Li et al, 2023 ).…”

Advances in novel biomaterials combined with traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation technology in treatment of peripheral nerve injury

“…Compared with in vivo animal models, in vitro biological experiments based on microfluidic platforms offer advantages such as high throughput, humanization, and high biomimetic biology. Therefore, they are widely used in the establishment of various types of nerve injury models ( 63 – 66 ). The in vitro model constructed using microfluidic technology enables the targeting of manipulated neurons or axons while allowing real-time monitoring of their behavioral changes.…”

TPP-Based Microfluidic Chip Design and Fabrication Method for Optimized Nerve Cells Directed Growth

“…Cell growth regulation is one of the most promising methods in biomedical research such as tissue engineering [ 1 ], cancer research [ 2 ], and neuroscience [ 3 ]. As a typical cell growth regulation method, the directional growth of nerve cells has special significance for neurological medical research, especially for mechanism [ 4 ], intervention strategies [ 5 ], and drug testing [ 6 ] research of central nervous system (CNS) diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease). The structure and function of the CNS are affected by the precision and accuracy of nerve cell connections, which may lead to dysfunction [ 7 , 8 ].…”