Abstract
Nanotechnology has been previously employed for constructing drug delivery vehicles, biosensors, solar cells, lubricants and as antimicrobial agents. The advancement in synthesis procedure makes it possible to formulate nanoparticles (NPs) with precise control over physico-chemical and optical properties that are desired for specific clinical or biological applications. The surface modification technology has further added impetus to the specific applications of NPs by providing them with desirable characteristics. Hence, nanotechnology is of paramount importance in numerous biomedical and industrial applications due to their biocompatibility and stability even in harsh environments. Traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) are one of the major traumatic injuries that are commonly associated with severe consequences to the patient that may reach to the point of paralysis. Several processes occurring at a biochemical level which exacerbate the injury may be targeted using nanotechnology. This review discusses possible nanotechnology-based approaches for the diagnosis and therapy of TSCI, which have a bright future in clinical practice.
Highlights
Traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) occur due to damage to the spinal cord from trauma, resulting in transient or permanent loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions in the parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the injury.[1]
Knowledge of the causes of TSCI is an essential aspect that aids in the development of modalities for prevention and treatment of the condition.[2]
The parasagittal sections of the spinal cord stained with Luxol fast blue (LFB)/hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) to assess cavity shape, another stained using ED-1 for assessing inflammation and a third series stained with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for astrogliosis assessment showed no significant difference between the three groups, supporting the safety and biocompatibility of PLGA hydrogels as a platform for sustained combination therapy in SCIs.[65]
Summary
Traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) occur due to damage to the spinal cord from trauma, resulting in transient or permanent loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions in the parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the injury.[1]. In another study, crosslinked methylcellulose hydrogel loaded with chondroitinase ABC and stromal cell-derived factor 1α in addition to PLGA NPs were evaluated against its counterpart hydrogel containing no NPs.[68] Similar to Elliott et al.,[66] after a laminectomy at the level of T1-2, a moderate impact/compression injury was induced in female SpragueDawley rat, after which the hydrogel was injected intrathecally Despite improvement with both formulation, better results were obtained when using PLGA NPs in the hydrogel, since the transient electrostatic interaction between PLGA and SDF allow the controlled release of bioactive SDF without encapsulation, as explained by Pakulska et al.[67]. To overcome the high incidence of adverse effects upon systemic administration of methylprednisolone, a study embedded methylprednisolone sodium succinate-loaded PCL-based NPs in an implantable fibrin gel, which was tested in male Wistar rats with a spinal cord contusive injury for localized drug delivery.
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