Electroactive Scaffolds to Improve Neural Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

Frontiers in Medical Technology, 2022 · DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2022.693438 · Published: February 22, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Biomedical Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in signiﬁcant neurological dysfunction and long-term disability. Globally, the prevalence of SCI is estimated between 40 to 80 cases per million population per year. Stem cells are deﬁned as immature cells that have the capacity to self-renew and to develop into specialized cells, that is, they can become any cell type present within an organism. Electroactive scaﬀolds bear the advantage of enhancing the complex electrical transmission function of neuronal networks during cell-to-substrate and cell-to-cell interactions.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
NSCs are multipotent cells that can self-renew and generate all the specialized neural cells within the spinal cord, that is, neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.
2
The trilineage diﬀerentiation potential of NSCs is a remarkable feature following demyelination and cell death induced by SCI.
3
Electrical stimulation (ES) which have been shown to inﬂuence neurogenesis, proliferation, migration, cell-cell interactions and the modulation of synapse formation

Research Summary

This review explores the emerging field of neural stem cell therapy and the engineering of functionalized biomaterials to facilitate cell transplantation and promote regeneration of damaged spinal cord tissue as a potential avenue to advance SCI research. The review highlights the eﬀects of electroactivity and ES on NSCs in 3D matrices, largely composed of in vitro preclinical reports. Overall, the combination of electroactive implants and NSC transplantation is a complex therapeutic option. However, given the complexity of SCI injury and the social need for a new therapy we believe this strategy is worth investigating further.

Practical Implications

Improved Cell Transplantation

Electroactive scaffolds offer promise in reconstituting the architecture of the damaged spinal cord and promoting regeneration.

Enhanced Regenerative Capability

There is clear potential for electroactive scaffolds to modulate NSC behavior post-transplantation and enhance their regenerative capability.

New Technologies for NSC Therapy

New technologies in degradable electroactive hydrogels may make translation of implantable electroactive biomaterials for NSC therapy more realistic.

Study Limitations

1
Low survival and lack of retention of viable cell transplant populations at the injury site
2
Inability to control diﬀerentiation fates post transplantation as NSCs largely diﬀerentiate into astrocytes under pathological conditions.
3
Challenges exist in the biocompatibility and safety of electroactive scaﬀolds in vivo, which requires further assessment across diﬀerent tissues.

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