ABSTRACT Transection of peripheral nerves is followed by loss of neural functions, and by Wallerian degeneration (WD) of the nerve segments situated distal to lesion sites. Restoration of function depends on efficient regeneration of severed axons through the path of WD nerve segments. If turn, efficient regeneration depends on the rapid and efficient progression of WD (e.g. the rapid removal of myelin by activated macrophages and Schwann cells, and the provision of growth factors). Cytokines can play roles in securing successful regeneration by governing the inflammatory events of WD that ensure myelin removal, by regulating the production of nerve growth factors, and by acting themselves as growth factors. The entire array of cytokines involved may be classified as the “cytokine network of Wallerian degeneration”.
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