Materials for central nervous system regeneration: bioactive cues

Abstract

Current clinical therapies have limited capacity to restore function in damaged nerves. Regeneration of axons in the injured central nervous system is inhibited by the presence of both physical and mechanical barriers. As such, neural tissue engineering strategies have received considerable attention in recent years. Materials-based approaches offer a way to blend synthetic and biological components in order to generate environments conducive to neural regeneration. While biomaterials themselves can facilitate regeneration simply by providing a substrate for cell growth, incorporation of “bioactive cues”—or molecules which interact with cells to elicit a specific response—has become increasingly necessary in order to promote nerve regeneration. This review attempts to outline the various biomaterials that are promising for central nerve applications, and discusses the array of bioactive cues that are valuable in promoting nerve repair.