Table 1. Summary of characteristics of the included studies.
| Year | First author | Strain | Model | Stem cell | Stem cell source | Modification | Number of cases (experimental group/control group) | Outcome indicators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Zheng [10] | F344 rats | Electrical damage | ADSCs | Autogenous | GDNF-transfected | 6/6 | SFI |
| 2018 | Moattari [11] | Wistar rats | SNI | MSCs | Allogeneic | Direct injection with NGF | 6/6 | Amplitude, Latency, Medullated nerve fiber count |
| 2017 | Hei [12] | SD rats | SNI | Human UCB-MSCs | Allogeneic | BDNF-transfected | 20/20 | SFI |
| 2015 | Zhang [13] | SD rats | SNI | BMSCs | Allogeneic | CNTF-transfected | 10/10 | Myelin sheath thickness, Recovery rate of wet weight, Amplitude, Latency |
| 2015 | Yang [14] | SD rats | Electrical damage | ADSCs | Autogenous | GDNF-transfected | 6/6 | Myelin sheath thickness, Medullated nerve fiber count |
| 2014 | Shang [15] | SD rats | CCI | BMSCs | Autogenous | GDNF-transfected | 10/10 | SFI, Myelin sheath thickness, Medullated nerve fiber count, Recovery rate of wet weight |
| 2014 | Zhang [16] | SD rats | SNI | BMSCs | Allogeneic | BDNF-transfected | 10/10 | SFI, Myelin sheath thickness, Recovery rate of wet weight |
| 2009 | Zheng [17] | F344 rats | SNI | BMSCs | Autogenous | BDNF-transfected | 10/10 | SFI |
| 2005 | Lei [18] | SD rats | SNI | NSCs | unclear | Direct injection with NGF | 4/4 | Recovery rate of wet weight |
Abbreviations: ADSC, adipose-derived stem cell; CCI, chronic constriction injury; human UCB-MSC, human cord blood mononuclear cell; MSC, mesenchymal stem cell; NSC, neural stem cell; SD rat, Sprague–Dawley rat; SNFI, sciatic nerve function index.