Biomaterials and strategies for repairing spinal cord lesions

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes intractable disease and leads to inevitable physical, financial, and psychological burdens on patients and their families. SCI is commonly divided into primary and secondary injury. Primary injury occurs upon direct impact to the spinal cord, which leads to cell necro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurochemistry international 2021-03, Vol.144, p.104973-104973, Article 104973
Main Authors: Jeong, Hun-Jin, Yun, Yeomin, Lee, Seung-Jae, Ha, Yoon, Gwak, So-Jung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomaterials
Natural polymer
Nerve regeneration
Spinal cord injury
Synthetic polymer
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Summary:Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes intractable disease and leads to inevitable physical, financial, and psychological burdens on patients and their families. SCI is commonly divided into primary and secondary injury. Primary injury occurs upon direct impact to the spinal cord, which leads to cell necrosis, axon disruption, and vascular loss. This triggers pathophysiological secondary injury, which has several phases: acute, subacute, intermediate, and chronic. These phases are dependent on post-injury time and pathophysiology and have various causes, such as the infiltration of inflammatory cells and release of cytokines that can act as a barrier to neural regeneration. Another unique feature of SCI is the glial scar produced from the reactive proliferation of astrocytes, which acts as a barrier to axonal regeneration. Interdisciplinary research is investigating the use of biomaterials and tissue-engineered fabrication to overcome SCI. In this review, we discuss representative biomaterials, including natural and synthetic polymers and nanomaterials. In addition, we describe several strategies to repair spinal cord injuries, such as fabrication and the delivery of therapeutic biocomponents. These biomaterials and strategies may offer beneficial information to enhance the repair of spinal cord lesions. •Spinal cord Injury is considered an incurable disease that imposes a physical burden on patients and their families.•Several clinical trials and research are currently in progress to overcome the SCI.•Various methodologies, including biomaterials and strategies, have been explored for therapeutic efficacy.
ISSN:0197-0186
1872-9754
DOI:10.1016/j.neuint.2021.104973