Porous hydrogels for neural tissue engineering

Advances in polymer engineering have been made possible to design new porous matrices from hydrogel systems for tissue engineering. Application of such macromolecular networks in the nervous system has a unique objective; to manipulate wound healing and to promote tissue growth and axonal regeneration within a three-dimensional artifical tissue framework. Among the parameters which are responsible for the biological activity of hydrogel devices, porosity and microgeometry are key parameters. Creation of porosity in polymer hydrogels is discussed and measurement of porosity and microgeometry is briefly reviewed. The review covers previous work on the applications of hydrogel matrices (homogeneous and heterogeneous) to promote tissue repair and regeneration in lesions of the central nervous system and on basic considerations to create hydrogel hybrid tissue with neural specificity.