Chapter 5 - Tissue Engineering in Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Abstract

Despite an intrinsic regenerative capacity of the peripheral nervous system, in most cases of peripheral nerve injury, especially those involving substantial nerve gaps, therapeutic interventions are always required to support peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery. With the advancement of tissue engineering and translational medicine, extensive research has focused on the development of tissue-engineered nerve grafts, as a promising alternative to autologous nerve grafts, for bridging nerve gaps in peripheral nerve repair. The typical design of tissue-engineered nerve grafts is composed of a nerve scaffold combined with cellular and/or molecular components. This chapter separately describes a diverse array of physical and biochemical components of tissue-engineered nerve grafts with regard to their features, functions, structure or composition, and fabrication or procurement, and further discusses many representative examples of tissue-engineered nerve grafts and their pros and cons. We also highlight the current clinical applications of tissue-engineered nerve grafts and outline the future prospects for tissue engineering in peripheral nerve regeneration.