Biomaterials for Enhancing CNS Repair
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SI: PRESENT AND FUTURE OF NEUROPLASTICITY IN CNS RECOVERY
Biomaterials for Enhancing CNS Repair Teck Chuan Lim 1 & Myron Spector 2,3
Received: 25 February 2016 / Revised: 7 May 2016 / Accepted: 10 May 2016 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract The health of the central nervous system (CNS) does not only rely on the state of the neural cells but also on how various extracellular components organize cellular behaviors into proper tissue functions. Biomaterials have been valuable in restoring or augmenting the roles of extracellular components in the CNS in the event of injury and disease. In this review, we highlight how biomaterials have been enabling tools in important therapeutic strategies involving cell transplantation and drug/protein delivery. We further discuss advances in biomaterial design and applications that can potentially be translated into the CNS to provide unprecedented benefits. Keywords Scaffolds . Hydrogels . Cell transplantation . Drug and protein delivery . Immunomodulation . Glycomimetics . Matrix architecture . Bioimaging . Temporal control . Endogenous cells and molecules While the spotlight has usually been on neurons and associated neural cells, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of the extracellular components in the central nervous system (CNS). One fundamental role is to serve as a scaffold for holding cells in place and preserving the cellular and tissue organization that has developed over time. Through the presentation of different physical architectures or binding * Teck Chuan Lim [email protected]
1
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore, Singapore
2
Tissue Engineering, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
3
Department of Orthopedics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
molecules, the extracellular environment in the CNS also regulates the storage and movement of proteins, neurotransmitters, and ions and therefore impacts myriad cellular functions and behaviors. For example, multiple glycoproteins (e.g., tenascin C) and cell adhesion molecules (e.g., polysialic acid) are involved in composing stem cell niches that underlie the maintenance of neural stem cells in the adult brain [1]. Notably, the extracellular matrix undergoes significant remodeling during injury or disease, assuming additional roles of delimiting damage and inhibiting axonal growth. A wellknown example is the increased expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans that bind to protein tyrosine phosphatase σ and result in axonal growth inhibition [2]. It is from this awareness that the utility of biomaterials in repairing the CNS becomes apparent. Defined as substances designed to interact with living matter to serve a particular tissue or organ function, biomaterials can potentially replace the functions of extracellular components found in the CNS. This is especially useful in the event of significant CNS injury/ disease (e.g., stroke and traumatic brain injury) where a substantial volume of neural
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