PEDOT:PSS in peripheral nerve injury repair: electrical stimulation, neural interfaces, and neural regenerative mechanisms

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) remains a major clinical challenge due to the limited regenerative capacity of neural tissue. The conductive polymer (CP) poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) has recently gained significant attention owing to its excellent electrochemical performance, biocompatibility, and mechanical flexibility. This review provides an overview of recent advances in PEDOT:PSS-based strategies for nerve repair, including nerve guide conduits (NGCs) and neural interfaces. Particular emphasis is placed on its roles in facilitating nerve regeneration via electrical stimulation (ES), enhancing the tissue-electrode interface, and improving functional recovery. The discussion also covers major obstacles to clinical translation, such as long-term stability, biodegradability, and immune response. Future efforts should focus on material modification, composite structure optimization, and the integration of three-dimensional (3D) printing and intelligent neural interface technologies to enable personalized and precise therapeutic applications. Overall, PEDOT:PSS represents a promising material for peripheral nerve regeneration (PNR) and offers new strategies for treating PNIs.