ECM hydrogel improves the delivery of PEG microsphere-encapsulated neural stem cells and endothelial cells into tissue cavities caused by stroke

Perspective insights into versatile hydrogels for stroke: From molecular mechanisms to functional applications

As the leading killer of life and health, stroke leads to limb paralysis, speech disorder, dysphagia, cognitive impairment, mental depression and other symptoms, which entail a significant financial burden to society and families. At present, physiology, clinical medicine, engineering, and materials science, advanced biomaterials standing on the foothold of these interdisciplinary disciplines provide new opportunities and possibilities for the cure of stroke. Among them, hydrogels have been endowed with more possibilities. It is well-known that hydrogels can be employed as potential biosensors, medication delivery vectors, and cell transporters or matrices in tissue engineering in tissue engineering, and outperform many traditional therapeutic drugs, surgery, and materials. Therefore, hydrogels become a popular scaffolding treatment option for stroke. Diverse synthetic hydrogels were designed according to different pathophysiological mechanisms from the recently reported literature will be thoroughly explored. The biological uses of several types of hydrogels will be highlighted, including pro-angiogenesis, pro-neurogenesis, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis. Finally, considerations and challenges of using hydrogels in the treatment of stroke are summarized.

Cell Therapy and Functional Recovery of Stroke

Stroke is the most common cause of disability. Brain repair mechanisms are often insufficient to allow a full recovery. Stroke damage involve all brain cell type and extracellular matrix which represent the crucial "glio-neurovascular niche" useful for brain plasticity. Regenerative medicine including cell therapies hold great promise to decrease post-stroke disability of many patients, by promoting both neuroprotection and neural repair through direct effects on brain lesion and/or systemic effects such as immunomodulation. Mechanisms of action vary according to each grafted cell type: "peripheral" stem cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), can provide paracrine trophic support, and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSC) or neurons can act as direct cells' replacements. Optimal time window, route, and doses are still debated, and may depend on the chosen medicinal product and its expected mechanism such as neuroprotection, delayed brain repair, systemic effects, or graft survival and integration in host network. MSC, mononuclear cells (MNC), umbilical cord stem cells and NSC are the most investigated. Innovative approaches are implemented concerning combinatorial approaches with growth factors and biomaterials such as injectable hydrogels which could protect a cell graft and/or deliver drugs into the post-stroke cavity at chronic stages. Through main publications of the last two decades, we provide in this review concepts and suggestions to improve future translational researches and larger clinical trials of cell therapy in stroke.

Emergence of task-related spatiotemporal population dynamics in transplanted neurons

Loss of nervous system tissue after severe brain injury is a main determinant of poor functional recovery. Cell transplantation is a promising method to restore lost tissue and function, yet it remains unclear if transplanted neurons can demonstrate the population level dynamics important for movement control. Here we present a comprehensive approach for long-term single neuron monitoring and manipulation of transplanted embryonic cortical neurons after cortical injury in adult male mice performing a prehension task. The observed patterns of population activity in the transplanted network strongly resembled that of healthy networks. Specifically, the task-related spatiotemporal activity patterns of transplanted neurons could be represented by latent factors that evolve within a low dimensional manifold. We also demonstrate reliable modulation of the transplanted networks using minimally invasive epidural stimulation. Our approach may allow greater insight into how restoration of cell-type specific network dynamics in vivo can restore motor function.

Biomaterial application strategies to enhance stem cell-based therapy for ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND

Ischemic stroke is a condition in which an occluded blood vessel interrupts blood flow to the brain and causes irreversible neuronal cell death. Transplantation of regenerative stem cells has been proposed as a novel therapy to restore damaged neural circuitry after ischemic stroke attack. However, limitations such as low cell survival rates after transplantation remain significant challenges to stem cell-based therapy for ischemic stroke in the clinical setting. In order to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of transplanted stem cells, several biomaterials have been developed to provide a supportable cellular microenvironment or functional modification on the stem cells to optimize their reparative roles in injured tissues or organs.

AIM

To discuss state-of-the-art functional biomaterials that could enhance the therapeutic potential of stem cell-based treatment for ischemic stroke and provide detailed insights into the mechanisms underlying these biomaterial approaches.

METHODS

The PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus literature databases were searched using the keywords of “biomaterial” and “ischemic stroke”. All topically-relevant articles were then screened to identify those with focused relevance to in vivo, in vitro and clinical studies related to “stem cells” OR “progenitor cells” OR “undifferentiated cells” published in English during the years of 2011 to 2022. The systematic search was conducted up to September 30, 2022.

RESULTS

A total of 19 articles matched all the inclusion criteria. The data contained within this collection of papers comprehensively represented 19 types of biomaterials applied on seven different types of stem/progenitor cells, namely mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, neural progenitor cells, endothelial progenitor cells, neuroepithelial progenitor cells, and neuroblasts. The potential major benefits gained from the application of biomaterials in stem cell-based therapy were noted as induction of structural and functional modifications, increased stem cell retention rate in the hostile ischemic microenvironment, and promoting the secretion of important cytokines for reparative mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

Biomaterials have a relatively high potential for enhancing stem cell therapy. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of evidence from human clinical studies for the efficacy of this bioengineered cell therapy, highlighting that it is still too early to draw a definitive conclusion on efficacy and safety for patient usage. Future in-depth clinical investigations are necessary to realize translation of this therapy into a more conscientious and judicious evidence-based therapy for clinical application.

Combination therapy of hydrogel and stem cells for diabetic wound healing

Diabetic wounds (DWs) are a common complication of diabetes mellitus; DWs have a low cure rate and likely recurrence, thus affecting the quality of patients’ lives. As traditional therapy cannot effectively improve DW closure, DW has become a severe clinical medical problem worldwide. Unlike routine wound healing, DW is difficult to heal because of its chronically arrested inflammatory phase. Although mesenchymal stem cells and their secreted cytokines can alleviate oxidative stress and stimulate angiogenesis in wounds, thereby promoting wound healing, the biological activity of mesenchymal stem cells is compromised by direct injection, which hinders their therapeutic effect. Hydro-gels form a three-dimensional network that mimics the extracellular matrix, which can provide shelter for stem cells in the inflammatory microenvironment with reactive oxygen species in DW, and maintains the survival and viability of stem cells. This review summarizes the mechanisms and applications of stem cells and hydrogels in treating DW; additionally, it focuses on the different applications of therapy combining hydrogel and stem cells for DW treatment.

Biomaterials and Extracellular Vesicle Delivery: Current Status, Applications and Challenges

In this review, we will discuss the current status of extracellular vesicle (EV) delivery via biopolymeric scaffolds for therapeutic applications and the challenges associated with the development of these functionalized scaffolds. EVs are cell-derived membranous structures and are involved in many physiological processes. Naïve and engineered EVs have much therapeutic potential, but proper delivery systems are required to prevent non-specific and off-target effects. Targeted and site-specific delivery using polymeric scaffolds can address these limitations. EV delivery with scaffolds has shown improvements in tissue remodeling, wound healing, bone healing, immunomodulation, and vascular performance. Thus, EV delivery via biopolymeric scaffolds is becoming an increasingly popular approach to tissue engineering. Although there are many types of natural and synthetic biopolymers, the overarching goal for many tissue engineers is to utilize biopolymers to restore defects and function as well as support host regeneration. Functionalizing biopolymers by incorporating EVs works toward this goal. Throughout this review, we will characterize extracellular vesicles, examine various biopolymers as a vehicle for EV delivery for therapeutic purposes, potential mechanisms by which EVs exert their effects, EV delivery for tissue repair and immunomodulation, and the challenges associated with the use of EVs in scaffolds.

Lipid Microcapsules Promoted Neural Stem Cell Survival in the Infarcted Area of Mice with Ischemic Stroke by Inducing Autophagy

Intracerebral transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) for ischemic stroke treatment has been demonstrated to be inefficient, with only <5% of delivered cells being retained. Microcapsules may be a good carrier for NSC delivery; however, the current microcapsules do not fully meet the demands for cell survival after transplantation. In the present study, we designed a strategy for the encapsulation of NSCs in a novel lipid-alginate (L-A) microcapsule based on a two-step method. The protective effect of a L-A microcapsule on oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) was investigated by using the CCK8 test, the LDH release test, and flow cytometry. Mechanisms underlying the prosurvival effect were investigated by detecting autophagy markers like P62, LC3-I, and LC3-II, and autophagy flux analysis was also performed. Lastly, the ability of the L-A microcapsule to support NSCs delivery for ischemic stroke was investigated in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. We found that L-A microcapsules exerted a good protective effect against OGD compared with control and alginate microcapsules. The L-A microcapsules were found to promote cell survival by not only providing a "physical" barrier but also altering autophagy markers like P62 and LC3-II, which enhanced autophagy flux. This novel microcapsule was confirmed to be suitable for NSC delivery in vivo, which alleviated transplanted NSC apoptosis, reduced the infarct volume, decreased brain edema, improved neurological deficit scores, and lastly, improved survival rate. The findings of this study may provide a new method for stem cell delivery, raising the prospect that intracerebral cell transplantation may be used to treat, for instance, ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and so on.

Microencapsulation-based cell therapies

Mapping a new therapeutic route can be fraught with challenges, but recent developments in the preparation and properties of small particles combined with significant improvements to tried and tested techniques offer refined cell targeting with tremendous translational potential. Regenerating new cells through the use of compounds that regulate epigenetic pathways represents an attractive approach that is gaining increased attention for the treatment of several diseases including Type 1 Diabetes and cardiomyopathy. However, cells that have been regenerated using epigenetic agents will still encounter immunological barriers as well as limitations associated with their longevity and potency during transplantation. Strategies aimed at protecting these epigenetically regenerated cells from the host immune response include microencapsulation. Microencapsulation can provide new solutions for the treatment of many diseases. In particular, it offers an advantageous method of administering therapeutic materials and molecules that cannot be substituted by pharmacological substances. Promising clinical findings have shown the potential beneficial use of microencapsulation for islet transplantation as well as for cardiac, hepatic, and neuronal repair. For the treatment of diseases such as type I diabetes that requires insulin release regulated by the patient's metabolic needs, microencapsulation may be the most effective therapeutic strategy. However, new materials need to be developed, so that transplanted encapsulated cells are able to survive for longer periods in the host. In this article, we discuss microencapsulation strategies and chart recent progress in nanomedicine that offers new potential for this area in the future.

Perioperative stroke: A perspective on challenges and opportunities for experimental treatment and diagnostic strategies

Perioperative stroke is an ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebral event during or up to 30 days after surgery. It is a feared condition due to a relatively high incidence, difficulties in timely detection, and unfavorable outcome compared to spontaneously occurring stroke. Recent preclinical data suggest that specific pathophysiological mechanisms such as aggravated neuroinflammation contribute to the detrimental impact of perioperative stroke. Conventional treatment options are limited in the perioperative setting due to difficult diagnosis and medications affecting coagulation in may cases. On the contrary, the chance to anticipate cerebrovascular events at the time of surgery may pave the way for prevention strategies. This review provides an overview on perioperative stroke incidence, related problems, and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Based on this analysis, we assess experimental stroke treatments including neuroprotective approaches, cell therapies, and conditioning medicine strategies regarding their potential use in perioperative stroke. Interestingly, the specific aspects of perioperative stroke might enable a more effective application of experimental treatment strategies such as classical neuroprotection whereas others including cell therapies may be of limited use. We also discuss experimental diagnostic options for perioperative stroke augmenting classical clinical and imaging stroke diagnosis. While some experimental stroke treatments may have specific advantages in perioperative stroke, the paucity of established guidelines or multicenter clinical research initiatives currently limits their thorough investigation.

Towards clinical translation of 'second-generation' regenerative stroke therapies: hydrogels as game changers?

Stroke is an unmet clinical need with a paucity of treatments, at least in part because chronic stroke pathologies are prohibitive to 'first-generation' stem cell-based therapies. Hydrogels can remodel the hostile stroke microenvironment to aid endogenous and exogenous regenerative repair processes. However, no clinical trials have yet been successfully commissioned for these 'second-generation' hydrogel-based therapies for chronic ischaemic stroke regeneration. This review recommends a path forward to improve hydrogel technology for future clinical translation for stroke. Specifically, we suggest that a better understanding of human host stroke tissue-hydrogel interactions in addition to the effects of scaling up hydrogel volume to human-sized cavities would help guide translation of these second-generation regenerative stroke therapies.

Injectable biomaterial shuttles for cell therapy in stroke

Ischemic stroke (IS) is the leading cause of disability and contributes to a significant socio-economic cost in the western world. Brain repair strategies investigated in the pre-clinical models include the delivery of drug or cell-based therapeutics; which is hindered by the complex anatomy and functional organization of the brain. Biomaterials can be instrumental in alleviating some of these challenges by providing a structural support, localization, immunomodulation and/or modulating cellular cross-talk in the brain. This review addresses the significance of and challenges associated with cell therapy in an ischemic brain. This is followed by a detailed insight into the biomaterial-based delivery systems which have been designed to provide sustained trophic factor delivery for endogenous repair and to support transplanted cell survival and integration. A biomaterial intervention uses a multifaceted approach in enhancing the survival and engraftment of cells during transplantation and this has driven them as potential candidates for the treatment of IS. The biological processes that are activated as a response to the biomaterials and how to modulate them is one of the key factors contributing to the success of the biomaterial-based therapeutic approach. Future perspectives highlight the need of a combinative approach of merging the material design with disease biology to fabricate effective biomaterial-based intervention of stroke.

Challenges and Improvements of Novel Therapies for Ischemic Stroke

Stroke is the third most common disease all over the world, which is regarded as a hotspot in medical research because of its high mortality and morbidity. Stroke, especially ischemic stroke, causes severe neural cell death, and no effective therapy is currently available for neuroregeneration after stroke. Although many therapies have been shown to be effective in preclinical studies of ischemic stroke, almost none of them passed clinical trials, and the reasons for most failures have not been well identified. In this review, we focus on several novel methods, such as traditional Chinese medicine, stem cell therapy, and exosomes that have not been used for ischemic stroke till recent decades. We summarize the proposed basic mechanisms underlying these therapies and related clinical results, discussing advantages and current limitations for each therapy emphatically. Based on the limitations such as side effects, narrow therapeutic window, and less accumulation at the injury region, structure transformation and drug combination are subsequently applied, providing a deep understanding to develop effective treatment strategies for ischemic stroke in the near future.

Endothelial cell secreted VEGF-C enhances NSC VEGFR3 expression and promotes NSC survival

Although delivery of neural stem cell (NSC) as a therapeutic treatment for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) provides promise, NSC delivery typically has extremely low survival rates. Here, we investigate endothelial cell (EC) and pericyte (PC) interactions with NSC, where our results demonstrate that EC, and not PC, promote NSC cell proliferation and reduce cytotoxicity under glucose deprivation (GD). Additionally, NSC proliferation was increased upon treatment with EC conditioned media, inhibited with antagonism of VEGFR3. In an NSC + EC coculture we detected elevated levels of VEGF-C, not seen for NSC cultured alone. Exogenous VEGF-C induced NSC upregulation of VEGFR3, promoted proliferation, and reduced cytotoxicity. Finally, we delivered microbeads containing NSC + EC into a murine ICH cavity, where VEGF-C was increasingly present in the injury site, not seen upon delivery NSC encapsulated alone. These studies demonstrate that EC-secreted VEGF-C may promote NSC survival during injury, enhancing the potential for cell delivery therapies for stroke.