BioMed Research International

Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 381426, 2 pages

http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/381426

Editorial

Translational Research in Peripheral Nerve Repair and Regeneration

Nektarios Sinis,¹ Stefano Geuna,² and Fausto Viterbo³

¹Department of Plastic, Hand, and Reconstructive Microsurgery, St. Marien Hospital Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany

²Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences and Neuroscience Institute of the “Cavalieri Ottolenghi” Foundation (NICO), University of Turin, 10156 Orbassano, Italy

³Clinic for Plastic Surgery, Dr. Fausto Viterbo, Rua Domingos Minicucci Filho, 587 Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Received 5 August 2014; Accepted 5 August 2014; Published 9 September 2014

Copyright © 2014 Nektarios Sinis et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The interest towards research in peripheral nerve repair regeneration has seen a great and progressive increase in the light of the continuous increase in the number of microsurgical nerve reconstructions worldwide [1]. While only few years ago nerve reconstruction was a rare type of surgery carried out in few high specialized centers only, it is becoming more and more frequent and widespread today and, considering the great number of traumatic events which could benefit from such type of surgery, this increasing tendency is going to continue in the next future making complex surgical interventions (such as limb replantation and brachial plexus reconstruction) more and more common worldwide.

In spite of the progress in the surgical techniques, it is getting more and more clear that peripheral nerve repair is no longer a matter of surgical reconstruction only but rather a matter of multidisciplinary and integrated treatment strategies [2].

This special issue brings together 11 reviews and research articles which nicely illustrate the multidisciplinary approach to translational research in peripheral nerve repair and regeneration.

While some cutting-edge surgical strategies, such as end-to-side neurorrhaphy [3], synthetic tubulization [4], and muscle neurotization [5], are being introduced to the clinical practice based on solid preclinical studies, basic research is exploring innovative approaches along four main lines.

First, cell transplantation is being explored with the goal to get information about the homing of transplanted cells in the receiving nerve as well as to identify which cell type best adapts to the nerve environment [6].

Second, various new types of biomimetic biomaterials are being tested as peripheral nerve scaffolds with a special view not only on the chemical composition of the material but also on its 3D configuration which might facilitate the regrowth of axons and the migration of Schwann cells [7].

Third, a large body of basic research is also dedicated to the identification of new molecules that might promote nerve regeneration, for example, inflammatory cytokines [8] and gliotrophic factors [9], as well as their controlled local release.

Last but not least, the possibility to promote nerve regeneration by physical therapy, that is, the application of physical agents, is also raising much interest among basic scientists [10].

The collection of papers published in this special issue nicely covers all these fields of study and we hope that it will attract the interests of a large number of interdisciplinary scientists as well as surgeons promoting successful translational research aimed at improving the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

Nektarios Sinis

Stefano Geuna

Fausto Viterbo

References

N. Sinis, A. Kraus, N. Papagiannoulis et al., “Concepts and developments in peripheral nerve surgery,” Clinical Neuropathology, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 247–262, 2009.

P. Tos, G. Ronchi, S. Geuna, and B. Battiston, “Future perspectives in nerve repair and regeneration,” International Review of Neurobiology, vol. 109, pp. 165–192, 2013.

F. Viterbo, A. Romão, R. S. Brock, and J. Joethy, “Facial reanimation utilizing combined orthodromic temporalis muscle flap and end-to-side cross-face nerve grafts,” Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 788–795, 2014.

J. A. Lohmeyer, Y. Kern, D. Schmauss, et al., “Prospective clinical study on digital nerve repair with collagen nerve conduits and review of literature,” Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 227–234, 2014.

Y. J. Tsai, F. C. Su, C. K. Hsiao, and Y. K. Tu, “Comparison of objective muscle strength in c5-c6 and c5-c7 brachial plexus injury patients after double nerve transfer,” Microsurgery, 2014.

E. Euler de Souza Lucena, F. P. Guzen, J. R. Lopes de Paiva Cavalcanti, C. A. Galvão Barboza, E. Silva do Nascimento Júnior, and S. Cavalcante Jde, “Experimental considerations concerning the use of stem cells and tissue engineering for facial nerve regeneration: a systematic review,” Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 1001–1012, 2014.

X. Gu, F. Ding, and D. F. Williams, “Neural tissue engineering options for peripheral nerve regeneration,” Biomaterials, vol. 35, no. 24, pp. 6143–6156, 2014.

C. R. Cámara-Lemarroy, F. J. Guzmán-de La Garza, and N. E. Fernández-Garza, “Molecular inflammatory mediators in peripheral nerve degeneration and regeneration,” NeuroImmunoModulation, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 314–324, 2010.

G. Gambarotta, F. Fregnan, S. Gnavi, and I. Perroteau, “Neuregulin 1 role in Schwann cell regulation and potential applications to promote peripheral nerve regeneration,” International Review of Neurobiology, vol. 108, pp. 223–256, 2013.

S. Geuna, S. Gnavi, I. Perroteau, P. Tos, and B. Battiston, “Tissue engineering and peripheral nerve reconstruction: an overview,” International Review of Neurobiology, vol. 108, pp. 35–57, 2013.