Table 2.
Application of hydrogel scaffolds for SCI repair.
| Application forms | Cells or drugs | Functions | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogel + NTs | NGF (Zhao et al., 2016) | Inhibit apoptosis, enhance neuroprotective effects and promote neuroregeneration | |
| Hydrogel + NTs | BDNF (Huang et al., 2021) | Improve nerve function, reduce inflammatory cytokines and cystic cavitation | |
| Hydrogel + NTs | NT-3 (Wang et al., 2023) | Promote the sprouting of spinal cord neurons and protect the downstream spinal cord tract | |
| Hydrogel + stem cells | NSCs/NPCs (Xu et al., 2021) | Regulate integrin and AKT/ERK signaling pathways and promote new neural network formation | |
| Hydrogel + stem cells | iPSCs (Kong et al., 2021) | Inhibit inflammation and reduce fibrotic tissue | Potential tumorigenicity |
| Hydrogel + stem cells | MSCs (Zhang et al., 2020) | Release exosomes, promote the survival and proliferation of endogenous NSCs and pro-angiogenesis | MSCs differentiate into neurons, but immature |
| Hydrogel + small molecules | VEGF (Des Rieux et al., 2014) | Promote proliferation of neuronal precursors, angiogenesis and axonal growth | |
| Hydrogel + small molecules | TGF-β1 (Park et al., 2022) | Stimulate differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and promote wound healing | |
| Hydrogel + small molecules | Exosomes (Liu et al., 2021) | Widely involved in regulating various cellular pathways, anti-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic and good delivery properties |