Carbohydrates and neurotrophic factors: A promising partnership for spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leaves a temporary or enduring motor, sensory, and autonomic function loss, significantly impacting the patient's quality of life. Given their biocompatibility, bioactivity, and tunable attributes, three-dimensional scaffolds frequently employ carbohydrates to facilitate spinal cord regeneration. These scaffolds have also been engineered to be novel local delivery platforms that present distinct advantages in the targeted transportation of drug candidates to the damaged spinal cord, ensuring the right dosage and duration of administration. Neurotrophic factors have emerged as promising therapeutic candidates, preserved neuron survival and encouraged severed axons repair, although their local and continuous delivery is believed to produce considerable spinal cord rehabilitation. This study aims to discuss breakthroughs in scaffold engineering, exploiting carbohydrates as an essential part of their structure, and highlight their impact on spinal cord regeneration and sustained neurotrophic factors delivery to treat SCI.