Unraveling the Mechanobiology Underlying Traumatic Brain Injury with Advanced Technologies and Biomaterials

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a worldwide health and socioeconomic problem, associated with prolonged and complex neurological aftermaths, including a variety of functional deficits and neurodegenerative disorders. Research on the long-term effects has highlighted that TBI shall be regarded as a chronic health condition. The initiation and exacerbation of TBI involve a series of mechanical stimulations and perturbations, accompanied by mechanotransduction events within the brain tissues. Mechanobiology thus offers a unique perspective and likely promising approach to unravel the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms leading to neural cells dysfunction after TBI, which may contribute to the discovery of novel targets for future clinical treatment. This article investigates TBI and the subsequent brain dysfunction from a lens of neuromechanobiology. Following an introduction, the mechanobiological insights are examined into the molecular pathology of TBI, and then an overview is given of the latest research technologies to explore neuromechanobiology, with particular focus on microfluidics and biomaterials. Challenges and prospects in the current field are also discussed. Through this article, it is hoped that extensive technical innovation in biomedical devices and materials can be encouraged to advance the field of neuromechanobiology, paving potential ways for the research and rehabilitation of neurotrauma and neurological diseases.

Hydrogel platform facilitating astrocytic differentiation through cell mechanosensing and YAP-mediated transcription

“…Unlike those works in which the hydrogel was degraded or digested by the embedded cells themselves, our study demonstrates a new finding in 2D, where the environmental “weathering effect” of the hydrogel plays a role in promoting cell differentiation. As this effect alters the mechanical properties of the hydrogel, in particular, resulting in hydrogel softening that recapitulates the softened brain in the context of neurodegeneration [ 38 , 39 ], our system may provide a simplified platform to study the mechanobiological mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders [ 45 ].…”

Biomaterials in Traumatic Brain Injury: Perspectives and Challenges

“…To address these limitations, several key solutions can be implemented [219][220][221]. These include the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques to reduce the invasiveness of and the complications associated with implanting the scaffolds.…”