2025, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (28): 6110-6117

Role of functional hydrogels in tissue repair after traumatic brain injury

Zhang Tong1, Wang Yan2, Yang Chunjia1, Yue Qingkun1, Wu Qingtian1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: At present, traditional drug delivery routes (oral or intravenous injection) in clinical practice face the problem of difficulty in penetrating the blood-brain barrier, and the clinical treatment of open severe traumatic brain injury is often lower than expected. Hydrogels are a class of extremely hydrophilic three-dimensional network structure gels, which swell rapidly in water and can be maintained in the swelling state. Hydrogels swell rapidly in water and can remain in this swollen state. At present, some experimental studies have applied injectable functional hydrogel injection into the injured site to achieve the purpose of repairing damaged brain tissue, but this treatment strategy has not been applied in clinic.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the role of functional hydrogels in tissue repair after traumatic brain injury, discuss the promotion of nerve tissue regeneration after traumatic brain injury through different action modes, so as to propose new ideas for clinical treatment and basic research of traumatic brain injury.
METHODS: English key words “hydrogels, functional hydrogel, composite hydrogels, traumatic brain injury, tissue repair, neural regeneration” and Chinese key words “functional hydrogels, traumatic brain injury, tissue repair, nerve regeneration” were used to search the relevant articles published from August 2000 to March 2024 in PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and WanFang databases. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were formulated, and 60 relevant articles were finally included after being screened by reading the title, abstract, and full text of articles.  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The hydrogel based on molecular design can simulate the neural microstructure, promote regeneration and repair, and simulate the neurovascular unit to promote vascular regeneration. (2) Hydrogels based on the principle of combined drug therapy can deliver endogenous neuroregulatory factors, coating drugs to promote nerve regeneration. (3) Hydrogels based on stem cell recovery strategies can be used as molecular scaffolds to deliver cell therapy. (4) Future researchers need to further explore functional hydrogels related to nerve tissue repair to provide effective strategies for therapeutic function reconstruction in traumatic brain injury patients.

Key words: functional hydrogel, traumatic brain injury, tissue repair, nerve regeneration, drug delivery, stem cell piggyback, engineered hydrogel