Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) are common and often result in sensorimotor deficits, chronic pain and decreased quality of life. While the peripheral nervous system has greater regenerative capacity than the central nervous system, recovery is often limited by intrinsic changes in the nerve and muscle. This review summarizes the process of nerve regeneration, with a focus on the role of the vasculature, following PNI and examines current bioengineering approaches to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration through modification of the nerve microenvironment and optimization of neurovascular interactions. The primary areas of translational research discussed in this review include vascularized nerve grafts, nerve conduits and scaffolds, bioactive peptides, nanoparticles, extracellular vesicles, stem cells, and gene therapy.
Keywords: nerve injury; nerve regeneration; neural plasticity; peripheral nerve; vascularization.