Abstract
Peripheral nerves are highly susceptible to injuries induced from everyday activities such as falling or work and sport accidents as well as more severe incidents such as car and motorcycle accidents. Many efforts have been made to improve nerve regeneration, but a satisfactory outcome is still unachieved, highlighting the need for easy to apply supportive strategies for stimulating nerve growth and functional recovery. Recent focus has been made on the effect of the consumed diet and its relation to healthy and well-functioning body systems. Normally, a balanced, healthy daily diet should provide our body with all the needed nutritional elements for maintaining correct function. The health of the central and peripheral nervous system is largely dependent on balanced nutrients supply. While already addressed in many reviews with different focus, we comprehensively review here the possible role of different nutrients in maintaining a healthy peripheral nervous system and their possible role in supporting the process of peripheral nerve regeneration. In fact, many dietary supplements have already demonstrated an important role in peripheral nerve development and regeneration; thus, a tailored dietary plan supplied to a patient following nerve injury could play a non-negotiable role in accelerating and promoting the process of nerve regeneration.
Highlights
Peripheral nerve injuries are very common, and it has been estimated that 3.3% and 1.8% of trauma patients with upper limb or lower limb injury respectively exhibit adjunctive nerve involvement [1,2]
Regarding non-surgical approaches, cell-based therapy performed with Schwann cells (SCs) or stem cells of different origin, electrical nerve stimulation, laser therapy, optogenetic therapy, and pharmacological therapy have been employed for promoting myelination and enhancing functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury [6,7,8,9,10]
The results demonstrated the positive effect of ketogenic diet (KD) on peripheral nerve regeneration and the positive synergistic effect with electrical stimulation
Summary
Peripheral nerve injuries are very common, and it has been estimated that 3.3% and 1.8% of trauma patients with upper limb or lower limb injury respectively exhibit adjunctive nerve involvement [1,2]. Regarding non-surgical approaches, cell-based therapy performed with Schwann cells (SCs) or stem cells of different origin, electrical nerve stimulation, laser therapy, optogenetic therapy, and pharmacological therapy have been employed for promoting myelination and enhancing functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury [6,7,8,9,10]. Despite the progress in understanding the pathophysiology of peripheral nerve injuries, the advancement in reconstructive microsurgery, and the innovations in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, there are no repair techniques or therapeutic approaches that can ensure full recovery of normal sensorimotor functions of adult patients following severe nerve injuries [11]. A better understanding of the role of specific nutrients could yield novel developments and breakthroughs in diet-based accompanying treatments for peripheral nerve injuries. We aim here at critically reviewing the available knowledge about the role of nutrients in peripheral nerve regeneration
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