Neuroscience Research Lab, Department of Neurology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Chandigarh, India.
Department of Pharmacology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Curr Alzheimer Res. 2019;16(4):344-352. doi: 10.2174/1567205016666190408123947.
Cancer is a common disease caused by the excessive proliferation of cells, and neurodegenerative diseases are the disorders caused due to the degeneration of neurons. Both can be considered as diseases caused by the dysregulation of cell cycle events. A recent data suggests that there is a strong inverse association between cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. There is indirect evidence to postulate Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) as a potential molecular link in this association.
The BDNF levels are found to be downregulated in many neurodegenerative disorders and are found to be upregulated in various kinds of cancers. The lower level of BDNF in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease has been found to be related to cognitive and other neuropsychological impairments, whereas, its higher levels are associated with the tumour growth and metastasis and poor survival rate in the cancer patients.
In this review, we propose that variance in BDNF levels is critical in determining the course of cellular pathophysiology and the development of cancer or neurodegenerative disorder. We further propose that an alternative therapeutic strategy that can modulate BDNF expression, can rescue or prevent above said pathophysiological course. Larger studies that examine this link through animal studies are imperative to understand the putative biochemical and molecular link to wellness and disease.
癌症是一种由细胞过度增殖引起的常见疾病，神经退行性疾病是由于神经元变性引起的紊乱。两者都可以被认为是细胞周期事件失调引起的疾病。最近的数据表明，癌症和神经退行性疾病之间存在强烈的反比关系。有间接证据推测脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）是这种关联的潜在分子联系。
在许多神经退行性疾病中发现 BDNF 水平下调，而在各种癌症中发现 BDNF 水平上调。在阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病中，较低的 BDNF 水平与认知和其他神经心理学损伤有关，而较高的 BDNF 水平与肿瘤生长、转移和癌症患者的生存率降低有关。
在这篇综述中，我们提出 BDNF 水平的差异对于确定细胞病理生理学过程以及癌症或神经退行性疾病的发展至关重要。我们进一步提出，一种可以调节 BDNF 表达的替代治疗策略，可以挽救或预防上述病理生理学过程。通过动物研究来检验这种联系的更大规模研究对于理解潜在的生化和分子联系至关重要，以实现健康和疾病。
