Bioactive Silk‐Based Nerve Guidance Conduits for Augmenting Peripheral Nerve Repair

Natural and synthetic recombinant silks are gaining prominence in the field of nerve tissue engineering due to their physicomechanical, chemical, and biological properties. Silks can be engineered to provide appropriate microenvironments for nerve regeneration in terms of physical guidance cues, inner wall/lumen modifications, and can be functionalized with electroactive/conductive moieties.

Abstract

Repair of peripheral nerve injuries depends upon complex biology stemming from the manifold and challenging injury‐healing processes of the peripheral nervous system. While surgical treatment options are available, they tend to be characterized by poor clinical outcomes for the injured patients. This is particularly apparent in the clinical management of a nerve gap whereby nerve autograft remains the best clinical option despite numerous limitations; in addition, effective repair becomes progressively more difficult with larger gaps. Nerve conduit strategies based on tissue engineering approaches and the use of silk as scaffolding material have attracted much attention in recent years to overcome these limitations and meet the clinical demand of large gap nerve repair. This review examines the scientific advances made with silk‐based conduits for peripheral nerve repair. The focus is on enhancing bioactivity of the conduits in terms of physical guidance cues, inner wall and lumen modification, and imbuing novel conductive functionalities.

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