Recent Strategies in Tissue Engineering for Guided Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

The repair of large crushed or sectioned segments of peripheral nerves remains a challenge in regenerative medicine due to the complexity of the biological environment and the lack of proper biomaterials and architecture to foster reconstruction. Traditionally such reconstruction is only achieved by using fresh human tissue as a surrogate for the absence of the nerve. However, recent focus in the field has been on new polymer structures and specific biofunctionalization to achieve the goal of peripheral nerve regeneration by developing artificial nerve prostheses. This review presents various tested approaches as well their effectiveness for nerve regrowth and functional recovery. Treating severe peripheral nerve injuries remains a clinical challenge to this day. The “gold standard” for surgical intervention of a sectioned nerve has long been the autologous nerve graft, but with the continuing advancement in the field of tissue engineering, safer and more economical alternatives utilizing synthetic and natural polymers are becoming available.