Potential injectable hydrogels as biomaterials for central nervous system injury: A narrative review

Abstract

Numerous modalities exist through which the central nervous system (CNS) may sustain injury or impairment, encompassing traumatic incidents, stroke occurrences, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Presently available pharmacological and therapeutic interventions are incapable of restoring or regenerating damaged CNS tissue, leading to substantial unmet clinical needs among patients with CNS ailments or injuries. To address and facilitate the recovery of the impaired CNS, cell‐based repair strategies encompass multiple mechanisms, such as neuronal replacement, therapeutic factor secretion, and the promotion of host brain plasticity. Despite the progression of cell‐based CNS reparation as a therapeutic strategy throughout the years, substantial barriers have impeded its widespread implementation in clinical settings. The integration of cell technologies with advancements in regenerative medicine utilizing biomaterials and tissue engineering has recently facilitated the surmounting of several of these impediments. This comprehensive review presents an overview of distinct CNS conditions necessitating cell reparation, in addition to exploring potential biomaterial methodologies that enhance the efficacy of treating brain injuries.

Injectable Hydrogels for Nervous Tissue Repair—A Brief Review

“…The brain is a complex tissue of the central nervous system which has the function of integrating and regulating signals and information in the nervous system along with the spinal cord [ 40 ]. Patients with traumatic brain injury are susceptible to permanent neurological deficits, which influence their daily lives [ 68 ].…”

“…Several review articles about injectable hydrogels for nervous tissue repair have been previously reported [ 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Recently, Gao et al [ 29 ] published a review article describing injectable hydrogels in nerve repair and regeneration after ischemic stroke.…”