Regenerative effects of adipose-tissue-derived stem cells for treatment of peripheral nerve injuries

Peripheral nerve injuries are a common occurrence affecting the nerves found outside the central nervous system. Complete nerve transections necessitate surgical re-anastomosis, and, in cases where there is a significant gap between the two ends of the injured nerve, bridging strategies are required to repair the defect. The current clinical gold standard is the nerve graft, but this has a number of limitations, including donor site morbidity. An active area of research is focused on developing other techniques to replace these grafts, by creating tubular nerve-guidance conduits from natural and synthetic materials, which are often supplemented with biological cues such as growth factors and regenerative cells. In the present short review, we focus on the use of adipose-tissue-derived stem cells and the possible mechanisms through which they may exert a positive influence on peripheral nerve regeneration, thereby enabling more effective nerve repair.