血管内皮生长因子B的神经保护作用

Neuroprotective effect of vascular endothelial growth factor-B

神经元的发育和存活是一项神经科学研究的热门领域,故神经营养、神经保护因子成为目前的研究热点。但迄今为止,人们对有效的神经营养、神经保护因子及其作用机制了解甚少。血管内皮生长因子-B(vascular endothelial growth fac-tor-B,VEGF-B)是VEGF家族的成员,是1996年发现的该家族第3个因子。大多数关于VEGF-B的研究都是致力于其在血管生长方面的作用,而近年来,一些学者把目光聚焦到VEGF-B的促神经发生、神经营养和神经保护的作用,及其通过直接或间接作用于神经元细胞或神经胶质细胞,从而促进其生长及存活。VEGF-B的这种功能使其和多种神经退行性疾病相关,如帕金森病、肌萎缩侧索硬化症、感觉神经末梢的退行性变性疾病等。细胞体外实验和动物模型研究结果提示,转染VEGF-B基因能够改善肌萎缩侧索硬化症、帕金森病、感觉神经末梢的退行性变性疾病的病情进展。

As the growth and survival of neurons are hot topics in neuroscience, neurotrophic and neuroprotective factors have recently become a focus of research. Up to now, the molecular mechanisms behind the regulation of neurotropic and neuroprotective factors remain poorly understood. Vascular endothelial growth factor-B （ VEGF-B）, a homolog of VEGF, is the third factor of the fami- ly discovered in 1996. Though the initial studies indicated that VEGF-B played an essential role in the formation of blood vessels, re- cent findings revealed that VEGF-B also had neurogenetic, neurotrophie and neuroprotective effects, either directly or indirectly, on neuronals and could stimulate their proliferation and survival. The functions of VEGF-B are related to some degenerative disorders, such as Parkinson＇s disease （PD）, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis （ASL）, retrograde degeneration of sensory neurons （RDSN）, etc. The administration of VEGF-B can improve PD, ASL and RDSN in cells and animal models.