Drug Discov Ther. 2016;10(6):285-291. (DOI: 10.5582/ddt.2016.01058)

The role of growth factors in nerve regeneration.

Önger ME, Delibaş B, Türkmen AP, Erener E, Altunkaynak BZ, Kaplan S


SUMMARY

Nerve injuries result in functional loss in the innervated organ or body parts, and recovery is difficult unless surgical treatment has been done. Different surgical treatments have been suggested for nerve repair. Tissue engineering related to growth factors has arisen as an alternative approach for triggering and improving nerve regeneration. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis related to growth factors as tools for optimizing the regeneration process. Studies and reviews on the use of growth factors for nerve regeneration were compiled over the course of the review. According to literature review, it may be concluded that growth factors from different sources present promising treatment related to nerve regeneration involved in neuronal differentiation, greater myelination and axonal growth and proliferation of specific cells for nerve repair.


KEYWORDS: Nerve regeneration, growth factors, neurotrophins, glial cell-lined derived neurotrophic factors, neuropoeitic cytokines

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