Neurotrophic factors in the treatment of neurotoxicity: an overview.

In recent years, major advances have been made in our understanding of neurotrophic factors and the role they play in the development and maintenance of the nervous system. This knowledge, combined with major advances in molecular biology, have enabled investigators to begin considering their applications to clinical problems. The toxic neuropathies may prove to be one of the simplest and most practical clinical settings for the early use of neurotrophic factors. In this brief review, we provide an overview of some of the most important neurotrophic factors, and summarize the major preclinical studies which suggest that they may be useful in the treatment of toxic neuropathy.