In the U.S., peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) harm about 22 million people. The most frequent causes and types of PNI vary by demography (civilians vs. military, geography/country). After crush injuries, functional recovery is better than after transections, and better after distal injuries than proximal ones. Despite advancements in microsurgical treatments, severe PNIs remain connected to slow recovery. This review highlights new peripheral nerve regeneration approaches (e.g. electrical stimulation, cell therapies), which may lead to a shift in PNI therapeutic paradigms in conjunction with neurotrophic agents and breakthroughs in bioscaffold engineering. It also examines how synthetic neural scaffolds can aid with peripheral nerve recovery, as well as the next generation of biomimetic neural scaffolding that can aid in tissue regeneration. Neurotrophic factor-enriched neural scaffolds, stem cell treatments, and electrical stimulation have shown promising preclinical and even clinical results. The future of peripheral nerve regeneration is bright, since a combination of the aforementioned treatments may have a synergistic impact on nerve regeneration and functional recovery in patients with PNI. Stem cell technology is improving and evolving, and it has been explored through a number of methods in preclinical research for peripheral nerve regeneration. Electrical stimulation is another interesting potential treatment for PNI that may be used to stimulate axon regeneration.
Stem Cell Transplantation for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration: Current Options and Opportunities
