Research progress in hydrogel and their role in nerve regeneration / 国际生物医学工程杂志

ABSTRACT

Hydrogel is a kind of three-dimensional matrix scaffold material with chemical or physical cross-linked structure, with high moisture retention and high water absorption, but insoluble in water. Because of its good biocompatibility and the ability to imitate the natural cytoplasmic matrix, hydrogel has broad practical significance and application prospects in the fields of tissue engineering and biomedicine. Nerve tissue engineering is a fast-growing field that is expected to address severe neurological diseases. Choosing the right matrix scaffold material to promote neural cell differentiation and axon growth is critical to the overall design of nerve tissue engineering. Hydrogels have been widely used to deliver neurotrophic factors, antagonists of nerve growth inhibitors and other neural growth-promoting agents to tissues to improve the difficult regeneration of the nervous system, and have proven to be excellent matrix scaffold materials for neural tissue engineering. In this review paper, a variety of hydrogel systems that have been applied to neuro-related research were classified and discussed, and their advantages and disadvantages were analyzed. The prospects and challenges of hydrogels in neural tissue engineering were also discussed.