Research advances in stem cell transplantation combined with fibrin scaffold for treating spinal cord injury in an aging society

Abstract

Older patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) had higher injury severity scores, longer hospital stays, and were significantly more likely to be discharged to an institution rather than younger patients. Treating SCI and promoting neural tissue regeneration is a major challenge for current medical technologies in an aging society. Tissue engineering scaffolds can provide a microenvironment suitable for cell survival and promote nerve tissue regeneration, and thus have become a promising therapeutic intervention. Among them, fibrin scaffold has become one of the most promising scaffolds for spinal cord regeneration due to its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high degree of integration with tissues. This article reviews the characteristics of an ideal fibrin scaffold and the role of fibrin scaffolds in the treatment of SCI in aging patients. Meanwhile, we explore the potential of stem cell transplantation combined with fibrin scaffold for the treatment of SCI. Through extensive and in-depth studies, this review will serve as a practical guide for the development of applications of fibrin scaffold combined with stem cell transplantation and provide direction for possible future work.

Keywords: Fibrin scaffolds, stem cells, spinal cord injury, tissue engineering scaffolds, aging