Tissue Engineering: Biomaterials for Disc Repair

Abstract

The degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a progressive disease that involves drastic structural and molecular changes due to increased catabolism in the annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) causing inflammation, and eventually, lower back pain. As alternatives to the highly invasive and conservative surgical interventions, more regenerative tissue engineering approaches using biomaterials have been suggested. Natural and synthetic biomaterials are being extensively explored for either separate or collective NP and AF repair, for conferring differing functionalities to the tissue rudiment. The need for biomaterials arises from their potential to provide structural support, pain alleviation, increased anabolism, a carrier for cells and sustained release of therapeutic molecules to target specific signaling pathways or have therapeutic effects of their own. Here, we review the biomaterials that have been studied for disc repair where the aim is to reinstate the healthy tissue composition and disc height and restore the function of the disc through regeneration. The complexity of the disc tissue and the information gaps in the disease mechanism still remains a challenge facing a satisfactory tissue engineering strategy for IVD regeneration.