Razavi Shahnaz, Nazem Ghasemi, Mardani Mohammad, Esfandiari Ebrahim, Salehi Hossein, Esfahani Sayyed Hamid Zarkesh
Department of Anatomical Sciences and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
Adv Biomed Res. 2015 Feb 17;4:53. doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.151570. eCollection 2015.
Neurotrophins are small molecules of polypeptides, which include nerve growth factor (NGF) family, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family ligands, and neuropoietic cytokines. These factors have an important role in neural regeneration, remyelination, and regulating the development of the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS and CNS, respectively) by intracellular signaling through specific receptors. It has been suggested that the pathogenesis of human neurodegenerative disorders may be due to an alteration in the neurotrophic factors and their receptors. The use of neurotrophic factors as therapeutic agents is a novel strategy for restoring and maintaining neuronal function during neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Innate and adaptive immune responses contribute to pathology of neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, autoimmune and mesenchymal stem cells, by the release of neurotrophic factors, have the ability to protect neuronal population and can efficiently suppress the formation of new lesions. So, these cells may be an alternative source for delivering neurotrophic factors into the CNS.
神经营养因子是小分子多肽，包括神经生长因子（NGF）家族、胶质细胞系源性神经营养因子（GDNF）家族配体和神经生成性细胞因子。这些因子通过特定受体的细胞内信号传导，在神经再生、髓鞘再生以及调节外周和中枢神经系统（分别为PNS和CNS）的发育中发挥重要作用。有人提出，人类神经退行性疾病的发病机制可能是由于神经营养因子及其受体的改变。在诸如多发性硬化症等神经退行性疾病期间，使用神经营养因子作为治疗剂是恢复和维持神经元功能的一种新策略。先天性和适应性免疫反应促成神经退行性疾病的病理过程。此外，自身免疫细胞和间充质干细胞通过释放神经营养因子，具有保护神经元群体的能力，并能有效抑制新病变的形成。因此，这些细胞可能是将神经营养因子递送至中枢神经系统的替代来源。
