Hydrogels and Cell Based Therapies in Spinal Cord Injury Regeneration

Spinal cord injury (SCI) lacks a successful treatment, and cell-based therapies have been explored for repair. However, cell transplantation often faces poor cell survival. Tissue engineering approaches combine cells with biomaterials, mimicking CNS tissue and creating a permissive environment for cell survival and differentiation. Biomaterials stabilize the lesion site, deliver cells directly, and provide an environment for injured tissue regeneration. This review discusses recent progress in cell- and biomaterial-based therapies, highlighting biomaterials as cell carriers for neural tissue regeneration. Stem-cell based transplantation has been gathering attention because of their differentiation potential and ability to provide signaling molecules like anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, modulating the inhibitory environment of SCI and increasing trophic support to resident cells.

• 1
  Stem cells from different origins have been tested for their ability to stimulate nerve regeneration and restore the neuronal circuitry when integrated in the injured site.
• 2
  The use of hydrogel matrices or their combination with cell therapy, such as MSC transplantation, for SCI treatment might potentiate axonal regeneration and outgrowth through the injury site.
• 3
  Combining biomaterials with cell transplantation may provide synergistic effects on regeneration and functional recovery of the injured spinal cord, taking advantage of what both therapies offer to overcome the multiple hurdles of SCI.