Background

Ischemic stroke is a medical condition caused by occlusion of blood vessels in brain, resulting in disruption of blood flow to the brain and triggering irreversible damage to the neuronal cells. While stem cells transplantation has been proposed as a potential alternative therapym for ischemic stroke, its effectiveness is limited due to low cell survival rate and potential side effects following transplantation. To overcome these challenges and enhance therapeutics efficacy, researchers have focused on developing various biomaterials to create a sustainable cellular microenvironment or to modify the properties of donor stem cell which could optimize their reparative functions in injured brain tissues.

Objective

This review aims to explore and discuss the different types of biomaterials that have been applied in the treatment of ischemic stroke, shedding light on their potentials as promising therapeutics options for this debilitating condition.

Methods

Literature search was performed to identify publications studying the potential of three biomaterials namely: nanobioparticles, hydrogels and extracellular vesicles for ischemic stroke therapy in vitro, in vivo or in clinical using four databases, namely: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and Scopus.

Results and discussion

The major benefits obtained from the application of nanobioparticles for ischemic stroke therapy included as the nanocarrier for drug/cell delivery, cell tracking, real time imaging, promote cell proliferation, while hydrogels provided scaffold support and conferred neuroprotection to stem cells, as well as provided neurotropic effects and controlled drug release for localized treatment. Lastly the extracellular vesicles were identified as a cell-free treatment strategy in promoting angiogenesis, neuronal differentiation and neurogenesis for ischemic stroke treatment.

Conclusion

Biomaterial-based therapies have their own potentials and further clinical investigations are strongly recommended to translate the therapies into more conscientious evidence-based therapy for clinical application.

Search results

Harnessing biomaterial application strategies for neurorestoration after ischemic stroke injury: An emerging treatment option