Heliyon, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19933 · Published: September 7, 2023
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by damage resulting in dysfunction of the spinal cord. Hydrogels are common biomaterials that play an important role in the treatment of SCI. Hydrogels are biocompatible, and some have electrical conductivity that are compatible with spinal cord tissues. Hydrogels have a high drug-carrying capacity, allowing them to be used for SCI treatment through the loading of various types of active substances, drugs, or cells. The development of biomaterials opens up new possibilities and options for the treatment of SCI. Thus, our findings will inspire scholars in related fields and promote the development of hydrogel therapy for SCI.
Selecting the most appropriate crosslinking method is critical in hydrogel design for SCI treatment, influencing the mechanical and chemical properties of the hydrogel.
SCI treatments encompass bioactive factor therapy, stem cell therapy, drug therapy, exosomes, and nanozymes, offering diverse approaches to spinal cord repair.
Various processing methods, including 3D printing, injectable hydrogels, microspheres, electrospinning, and sponge scaffolds, yield biomaterials with unique properties for specific SCI treatment applications.