Revisiting the Peripheral Nerve Injury and Regeneration

Peripheral nerve injury significantly impacts patients' quality of life, with poor nerve regeneration and insufficient functional recovery being urgent challenges. Even with early medical and surgical interventions, desired outcomes are often not achieved. Our research focuses on effective surgical and rehabilitation strategies, as well as the development of innovative technologies. Peripheral nerve injury repair is analyzed from three main perspectives: first, improving intrinsic axonal growth capacity, which involves signaling pathways and the regulation of neuromodulatory factors; second, enhancing the injury repair environment, where Schwann cells (SCs) and macrophages play key roles in reducing inhibitory factors, and regulating the immune microenvironment is crucial; and third, ensuring the successful and correct reconnection of the repaired nerve to the innervated tissue, preventing distal tissue degeneration and scar formation. This review explores concepts related to peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and the associated anatomical changes, offering a schematic representation of the various types of nerve damage. We review studies conducted in experimental models of peripheral nerve injury treatment, discussing existing treatment methods-such as surgical interventions, drug-based therapies, and other approaches-and highlight new PNI treatments, particularly for critical lesions, aimed at overcoming existing limitations and achieving better clinical outcomes.