Stem Cell- and Biomaterial-Based Neural Repair for Enhancing Spinal Axonal Regeneration

Abstract

Axonal damage in spinal cord injury (SCI) results in functional impairment and neurological disorders. Stem cell transplantation has been studied for the therapy of SCI because of their proliferation and differentiation capacity. Stem cell transplantation is potentially able to replace the neuron and glia loss in damaged neural tissue to restore the functional connection of neural tract. The extracellular matrix and several neurotrophic factors produced by stem cells can improve axonal growth. The stem cells-derived oligodendrocytes promote myelin formation for the remaining and newly grown neural axons. Biomaterials have offered an effective carrier means for stem cell transplantation following SCI. Various complications and pathophysiological concerns that arise during axonal regeneration following SCI may be overcome by the co-transplantation of biomaterial scaffolds fabricated from natural and synthetic polymers. Biomaterial scaffolds may effectively ameliorate cell death following transplantation and preventing scar formation. In this chapter, we review the advance in the research of stem cell transplantation including embryonic stem cells, neural stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells in neural repair and regeneration.