Design and criteria of electrospun fibrous scaffolds for the treatment of spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that leads to sensory, motor, and autonomic disabilities. Current treatments are largely palliative, focusing on managing complications and promoting recovery through rehabilitation. Following SCI, the environment around the injury site limits the body's ability to repair itself. This harsh microenvironment, along with the complexity of the post-injury state, makes therapeutic interventions challenging. Biomaterials are being explored to repair the damaged neuronal circuitry in the injured spinal cord. These materials can bridge the gap in the spinal cord, support axonal re-growth, and serve as substrates for cell transplantation and drug delivery.

• 1
  Mimicking the native extracellular matrix (ECM) of the spinal cord is a successful approach in designing neural biomaterials. This provides an artificial pro-regenerative environment at the injury site to facilitate neural repair.
• 2
  Fibrous polymeric scaffolds, particularly those with a large surface area-to-volume ratio, are promising implanted biomaterials for spinal cord regeneration. Their architecture can guide axonal extension.
• 3
  Electrospinning has emerged as a compelling technique for producing biomimetic fibrous scaffolds with controlled architectural properties. Parameters like voltage, flow rate, and temperature can affect fiber properties and influence cell behavior.