BIOPOLYMERIC NANOCOMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS FOR NERVE TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS: A REVIEW

Human biological processes are heavily influenced by nervous system and it interacts in physiological processes, such as cognition and individual cell function therefore; injury of the peripheral or central nervous system (PNS or CNS) causes loss of sensory and motor functions, affecting the patients’ quality of life. The regeneration capability of the human adult nervous system is often limited, and its recovery is difficult due to the complex physiology system and limited regenerative capacity. Tissue engineering is a novel clinical treatment field utilizing a blend of polymeric scaffolds and cells, representing a promising methodology for nerve recovery. The engineered materials and the fabricated neural scaffolds have gained expanding consideration in the field of nerve repairs. Nerve scaffolds surpass autologous nerve grafts in terms of implantation rate and outcome. Additionally, they foster a conducive cellular environment enabling axonal proliferation, neurite extension and connection, and neural cell survivability, adhesion, and migration. Due to their exceptional chemical and physical capabilities, numerous natural and manmade polymeric materials have been preferentially used during neural scaffolds to date. This review article presents various natural and synthetic polymers being used in neural tissue engineering, along with their benefits and challenges for neural recovery.