title: Advances in natural biomaterials for nerve tissue repair.
abstract: Natural biomaterials are well positioned to play a significant role in the development of the next generation of biomaterials for nervous system repair. These materials are derived from naturally occurring substances and are highly diverse and versatile. They are generally biocompatible and are well tolerated in vivo, and therefore have a high potential to be successful as part of clinical repair strategies in the nervous system. Here we review recent reports on acellular tissue grafts, collagen, hyaluronan, fibrin, and agarose in their use to repair the nervous system. In addition, newly developed advanced fabrication techniques to further develop the next generation natural biomaterials-based therapeutic devices are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States. zin@che.utexas.edu
authors.forename: Zin Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Khaing
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005337:Fibrin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D012685:Sepharose / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D019737:Transplants
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005337:Fibrin; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D003094:Collagen; D012685:Sepharose