OBJECTIVE: This review aims to explore and discuss the different types of biomaterials that have been applied in the treatment of ischemic stroke, shedding light on their potentials as promising therapeutics options for this debilitating condition.
METHODS: Literature search was performed to identify publications studying the potential of three biomaterials namely: nanobioparticles, hydrogels and extracellular vesicles for ischemic stroke therapy in vitro, in vivo or in clinical using four databases, namely: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and Scopus.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The major benefits obtained from the application of nanobioparticles for ischemic stroke therapy included as the nanocarrier for drug/cell delivery, cell tracking, real time imaging, promote cell proliferation, while hydrogels provided scaffold support and conferred neuroprotection to stem cells, as well as provided neurotropic effects and controlled drug release for localized treatment. Lastly the extracellular vesicles were identified as a cell-free treatment strategy in promoting angiogenesis, neuronal differentiation and neurogenesis for ischemic stroke treatment.
CONCLUSION: Biomaterial-based therapies have their own potentials and further clinical investigations are strongly recommended to translate the therapies into more conscientious evidence-based therapy for clinical application.