Naturally occurring biological macromolecules-based hydrogels: Potential biomaterials for peripheral nerve regeneration

Despite the recent advances in the treatment strategies of peripheral nerve system defects, peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is still one of the most important health issues with increasing incidence worldwide. The most commonly used treatment approaches are allografts, xenografts, and autologous, which have some drawbacks, including complications, limited source of the donor tissue, tubular collapse, and scar tissue formation. In this context, regenerative medicine has been introduced as a powerful approach to improve the healing process and obtain acceptable functional recovery in the injury site using living cells, scaffold, and bioactive (macro-) molecules. Amongst them, scaffold as a three-dimensional (3D) support biomaterial, structurally bridged the gap or site of injury in order to provide physical and chemical cues to promote correct reinnervation and functional regeneration. Amongst different scaffolding biomaterials, naturally occurring biological macromolecules (more especially proteins and polysaccharides)-based hydrogels exhibited promising results due to their fascinating physicochemical, as well as physiologically relevant properties. This review highlights the recent progress in the development of natural hydrogels-based neural scaffolds. Furthermore, PNI healing process, current status, and challenges are also shortly discussed. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.