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After peripheral nerve injuries, the process of nerve regeneration and target reinnervation is very complex and depends on many different events occurring not only at the lesion site but also proximally and distally to it. In spite of the recent scientific and technological advancements, the need to find out new strategies to improve clinical nerve repair and regeneration remains. To reach this goal, the therapeutic strategy should thus exert its effects at different levels in order to simultaneously potentiate axonal regeneration, increase neuronal survival, modulate central reorganization, and inhibit or reduce target organ atrophy. It is expected that this multilevel approach might lead to significant improvement in the functional outcome and thus the quality of life of the patients suffering from peripheral nerve injury., (© 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Promoting neuromuscular recovery after neural injury is a major clinical issue. While techniques for nerve reconstruction are continuously improving and most peripheral nerve lesions can be repaired today, recovery of the lost function is usually unsatisfactory. This evidence claims for innovative nonsurgical therapeutic strategies that can implement the outcome after neural repair. Although no pharmacological approach for improving posttraumatic neuromuscular recovery has still entered clinical practice, various molecules are explored in experimental models of neural repair. One of such molecules is the circulating peptide hormone ghrelin. This hormone has proved to have a positive effect on neural repair after central nervous system lesion, and very recently its effectiveness has also been demonstrated in preventing posttraumatic skeletal muscle atrophy. By contrast, no information is still available about its effectiveness on peripheral nerve regeneration although preliminary data from our laboratory suggest that this molecule can have an effect also in promoting axonal regeneration after nerve injury and repair. Should this be confirmed, ghrelin might represent an ideal candidate as a therapeutic agent for improving posttraumatic neuromuscular recovery because of its putative effects at all the various structural levels involved in this regeneration process, namely, the central nervous system, the peripheral nerve, and the target skeletal muscle., (© 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)