Neurotrophic factors: from neurodevelopmental regulators to novel therapies for Parkinson's disease

Neuroprotection and neuroregeneration are two of the most promising disease-modifying ther- apies for the incurable and widespread Parkinson＇s disease. In Parkinson＇s disease, progressive degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons causes debilitating motor symptoms. Neurotrophic factors play important regulatory roles in the development, survival and maintenance of specific neuronal populations. These factors have the potential to slow down, halt or reverse the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in Parkinsoffs disease. Several neurotrophic fac- tors have been investigated in this regard. This review article discusses the neurodevelopmental roles and therapeutic potential of three dopaminergic neurotrophic factors： glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, neurturin and growth/differentiation factor 5.

Role of neurotrophic factors in enhancing linear axonal growth of ganglionic sensory neurons in vitro

Neurotrophins play a major role in the regulation of neuronal growth such as neurite sprouting or regeneration in response to nerve injuries. The role of nerve growth factor, neurotrophin-3, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in maintaining the survival of peripheral neurons remains poorly understood. In regenerative medicine, different modalities have been investigated for the delivery of growth factors to the injured neurons, in search of a suitable system for clinical applications. This study was to investigate the influence of nerve growth factor, neurotrophin-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor on the growth of neurites using two in vitro models of dorsal root ganglia explants and dorsal root ganglia-derived primary cell dissociated cultures. Quantitative data showed that the total neurite length and tortuosity were differently influenced by trophic factors. Nerve growth factor and, indirectly, brain-derived neurotrophic factor stimulate the tortuous growth of sensory fibers and the formation of cell clusters. Neurotrophin-3, however, enhances neurite growth in terms of length and linearity allowing for a more organized and directed axonal elongation towards a peripheral target compared to the other growth factors. These findings could be of considerable importance for any clinical application of neurotrophic factors in peripheral nerve regeneration. Ethical approval was obtained from the Regione Piemonte Animal Ethics Committee ASLTO1(file # 864/2016-PR) on September 14, 2016.

Current sustained delivery strategies for the design of local neurotrophic factors in treatment of neurological disorders

Although therapeutic potential of neurotrophic factors(NTFs)has been well recognized for over two decades,attempts to translate that potential to the clinic have been disappointing,largely due to significant obstacles in delivery,including inadequate protein dose/kinetics released at target sites.Considerable efforts have been made to improve the therapeutic performance of NTFs.This articles reviews recent developments in localized delivery systems of NTFs for the neurological disorders treatments with a main focus on sustained delivery strategies.Different non-covalent binding approaches have been employed to immobilize proteins in hydrogels,microspheres,electrospun nanofibers,and their combined systems,which serve as depots for sustained local release of NTFs.The challenges associated with current NTFs delivery systems and how these systems can be applied to neurological diseases and disorders have been discussed in the review.In conclusion,optimal delivery systems for NTFs will be needed for reliable and meaningful clinical benefits;ideally,delivering a time and dose-controlled release of bioactive multiNTFs at different individual optimal kinetics to achieve multi-functions in target tissues is significant preferred.

Interferon beta(IFN-β) treatment exerts potential neuroprotective effects through neurotrophic factors and novel neurotensin/neurotensin high affinity receptor 1 pathway

Multiple sclerosis（MS）is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system（CNS）characterized by coexisting processes of inflammation,demyelination,axonal neurodegeneration,and gliosis.It is the most common disabling neurological disease in young adulthood.

Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 as an inducer of neurotrophic factors in dopaminergic neurons

The defining neuropathological feature of Parkinson＇s disease （PD） is the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic （DA） projections. This results in striatal dopamine levels and a biochemical reduction of movement disorders, such as a tremor at rest, rigidity of the limbs, bradykinesia, and postural instability （Kim et al., 2011; Kim et al., 2012; Burke and O＇Malley, 2013; Leem et al., 2014; Namet al., 2014）.

Neurotrophic factors: promising candidates in tissue regeneration

Neurotrophic factors,also referred as neurotrophins,are growth factors originally identified in the nervous system.As indicated by the name,neurotrophic factors are essential for the survival and development of neurons.Nerve growth factor（NGF）is the first identified neurotrophic factor.

Advances in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases: Perspectives for combination of stem cells with neurotrophic factors

Neurodegenerative diseases,including Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease,Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,are a group of incurable neurological disorders,characterized by the chronic progressive loss of different neuronal subtypes.However,despite its increasing prevalence among the everincreasing aging population,little progress has been made in the coincident immense efforts towards development of therapeutic agents.Research interest has recently turned towards stem cells including stem cells-derived exosomes,neurotrophic factors,and their combination as potential therapeutic agents in neurodegenerative diseases.In this review,we summarize the progress in therapeutic strategies based on stem cells combined with neurotrophic factors and mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes for neurodegenerative diseases,with an emphasis on the combination therapy.

Repair of peripheral nerve defects with chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with neurotrophic factors-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with brain-derived neurotrophic fac- tor-transfected or ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to repair sciatic nerve injury better than chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts alone, or chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. We hypothesized that these allografts compounded with both brain-derived neurotrophic factor- and ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells may demonstrate even better effects in the repair of peripheral nerve injury. We cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells expressing brain-derived neuro- trophic factor and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor and used them to treat sciatic nerve injury in rats. We observed an increase in sciatic functional index, triceps wet weight recovery rate, myelin thickness, number of myelinated nerve fibers, amplitude of motor-evoked potentials and nerve conduction velocity, and a shortened latency of motor-evoked potentials when al- lografts loaded with both neurotrophic factors were used, compared with allografts loaded with just one factor. Thus, the combination of both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cili- ary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can greatly improve nerve injury.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factors increase the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous neural stem cells in mouse models of cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND： It has been confirmed that brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） can promote the proliferation of neural stem cells （NSCs） and protect neuron-like cells in vitro. However, its effect on endogenous NSCs in vivo is still unclear. OBJECTIVE： To evaluate whether BDNF can induce the endogenous NSCs to proliferate and differentiate into the neurons in the mice model of cerebral infarction. DESIGN： A synchronal controlled observation. SETTINGS： Department of Neurology, Microbiology Division of the Department of Laboratory, Tianjin First Central Hospital; Howard Florey Institute, Medical College, the University of Melbourne. MATERIALS： Twenty-four pure breed C57BL/6J mice at the age of 10 weeks old （12 males and 12 females） were divided into saline control group and BDNF-treated group, 6 males and 6 females in each group. METHODS： The experiments were performed at the University of Melbourne from July 2004 to February 2005. ① The left middle cerebral artery （MCA） was ligated in both groups to establish models of cerebral infarction and the Matsushita measuring method was used to monitor the blood flow of the lesioned region supplied by MCA. 75% reduction of blood flow should be reached in the lesioned region. ② At 24 hours after infarction, mice in the BDNF-treated group were administrated with BDNF, which was slowly delivered using an ALZET osmium pump design. BDNF was dissolved in saline at the dosage of 500 mg/kg and injected into the pump, which could release the solution consistently in the following 28 days. The mice in the saline control group accepted the same volume of saline at 24 hours after infarction. ③ The Rotarod function test began at 1 week preoperatively, the time stayed on Rotarod was recorded. The mice were tested once a day till the end of the experiment. At 4 weeks post cerebral infarction, double labeling of Nestin and GFAP, BIH tubulin and CNPase immunostaining was performed to observe the differentiation directions of the re-expressed endogenous NSCs, and the percentages of the cells differentiated into astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes were calculated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① The differentiation directions of the re-expressed endogenous NSCs, and the percentage of the cells differentiated into astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes.② Comparison of motor function between the two groups. RESULTS： All the 24 pure C57BL/6J mice were involved in the analysis of results. ①Positively expressed endogenous NSCs appeared in the mice of both groups, and they mainly distributed around the focus of lesion, as well as the contralateral side. The expressed cells in the BDNF-treated group were obviously more than those in the saline control group. ②Activations of endogenous NSCs： At 4 weeks after infarction, re-expressions of endogenous NSCs appeared in both groups. The number of the re-expressed cells in the BDNF-treated group was about 4.2 times higher than that in the saline control group. The percentage of the cells differentiated into neurons in the BDNF-treated group was significantly higher than that in the saline control group （36%, 15%）, the percentage of the cells differentiated into astrocytes was lower than that in the saline control group （54%, 77%）, whereas the percentage of the cells differentiated into oligodendrocytes was similar to that in the saline control group （10%, 8%）. ③ Results of motor functional test： Compared with before cerebral infarction, the mice in both groups manifested as obvious decrease in motor function at 1 week after infarction, whereas the recovery of motor function in the BDNF-treated group was significantly superior to that in the saline control group at 2, 3 and 4 weeks （P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： BDNF can promote the proliferation of endogenous NSCs in the brain of mice with cerebral infarction, it can decrease the differentiation rate of astrocytes, and increase the differentiation rate of neurons. BDNF has small influence on the differentiation of endogenous NSCs into oligodendrocytes, which was not benefit for the recovery of neural axon. Endogenous NSCs may improve the motor function of mice through the above pathways.

Intrastriatal glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factors for protecting dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice with Parkinson disease

BACKGROUND： Substantia nigra is deep in position and limited in range, the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor （GDNF） injection directly into substantia nigra has relatively greater damages with higher difficulty. GDNF injection into striatum, the target area of dopaminergic neuron, may protect the dopaminergic neurons in the compact part of substantia nigra through retrograde transport. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the protective effect of intrastriatal GDNF on dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice with Parkinson disease （PD）, and analyze the action pathway. DESIGN： A controlled observation. SETTING： Neurobiological Laboratory of Xuzhou Medical College. MATERIALS： Twenty-four male Kunming mice of 7 - 8 weeks old were used. GDNF, 1-methy1-4-pheny1-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine （MPTP） were purchased from Sigma Company （USA）; LEICAQWin image processing and analytical system. METHODS： The experiments were carded out in the Neurobiological Laboratory of Xuzhou Medical College from September 2005 to October 2006. The PD models were established in adult KunMing mice by intraperitoneal injection of MPTP. The model mice were were randomly divided into four groups with 6 mice in each group： GDNF 4-day group, phosphate buffer solution （PSB） 4-day group, GDNF 6-day group and PSB 6-day group. Mice in the GDNF 4 and 6-day groups were administrated with 1 μ L GDNF solution （20 μ g/L, dispensed with 0.01 mol/L PBS） injected into right striatum at 4 and 6 days after model establishment. Mice in the PSB 4 and 6-day groups were administrated with 0.01 mol/L PBS of the same volume to the same injection at corresponding time points. ② On the 12^th day after model establishment, the midbrain tissue section of each mice was divided into 3 areas from rostral to caudal sides. The positive neurons of tyroxine hydroxylase （TH） and calcium binding protein （CB） with obvious nucleolus and clear outline were randomly selected for the measurement, and the number of positive neurons in unit area was counted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Number of positive neurons of TH and CB in midbrain substantia nigra of mice in each group. RESULTS： All the 24 mice were involved in the analysis of results. The numbers of TH^＋ and CB^＋ neurons in the GDNF 4-day group （54.33±6.92, 46.33±5.54） were obviously more than those in the PBS 4-day group （27.67±5.01, 21.50±5.96, P 〈 0.01）. The numbers of TH^＋ and CB^＋ neurons in the GDNF 6-day group （75.67±5.39, 69.67±8.69） were obviously more than those in the PBS 6-day group （27.17±4.50, 21.33 ±5.72, P 〈 0.01） and those in the GDNF 4-day group （P 〈 0.01 ）. CONCLUSION： Intrastriatal GDNF can protect dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra of PD mice, and it may be related to the increase of CB expression.

Enteric glia mediate neuronal outgrowth through release of neurotrophic factors

Previous studies have shown that transplanted enteric glia enhance axonal regeneration, reduce tissue damage, and promote functional recovery following spinal cord injury. However, the mechanisms by which enteric glia mediate these beneficial effects are unknown. Neurotrophic factors can promote neuronal differentiation, survival and neurite extension. We hypothesized that enteric glia may exert their protective effects against spinal cord injury partially through the secretion of neurotrophic factors. In the present study, we demonstrated that primary enteric glia cells release nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor over time with their concentrations reaching approximately 250, 100 and 50 pg/mL of culture medium respectively after 48 hours. The biological relevance of this secretion was assessed by incubating dissociated dorsal root ganglion neuronal cultures in enteric glia-conditioned medium with and/or without neutralizing antibodies to each of these proteins and evaluating the differences in neurite growth. We discovered that conditioned medium enhances neurite outgrowth in dorsal root ganglion neurons. Even though there was no detectable amount of neurotrophin-3 secretion using ELISA analysis, the neurite outgrowth effect can be attenuated by the antibody-mediated neutralization of each of the aforementioned neurotrophic factors. Therefore, enteric glia secrete nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 into their surrounding environment in concentrations that can cause a biological effect.

Panax notoginseng saponins improve recovery after spinal cord transection by upregulating neurotrophic factors

Saponins extracted from Panax notoginseng are neuroprotective, but the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. In the present study, we established a rat model of thoracic（T10） spinal cord transection, and injected Panax notoginseng saponins（100 mg/kg） or saline 30 minutes after injury. Locomotor functions were assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan（BBB） scale from 1 to 30 days after injury, and immunohistochemistry was carried out in the ventral horn of the spinal cord at 1 and 7 days to determine expression of nerve growth factor（NGF） and brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF）. Our results show that at 7–30 days post injury, the BBB score was higher in rats treated with Panax notoginseng saponins than in those that received saline. Furthermore, at 7 days, more NGF- and BDNF-immunoreactive neurons were observed in the ventral horn of the spinal cord of rats that had received Panax notoginseng saponins than in those that received saline. These results indicate that Panax notoginseng saponins caused an upregulation of NGF and BDNF in rats with spinal cord transection, and improved hindlimb motor function.

Peripheral nerve fibroblasts secrete neurotrophic factors to promote axon growth of motoneurons

Peripheral nerve fibroblasts play a critical role in nerve development and regeneration.Our previous study found that peripheral nerve fibroblasts have different sensory and motor phenotypes.Fibroblasts of different phenotypes can guide the migration of Schwann cells to the same sensory or motor phenotype.In this study,we analyzed the different effects of peripheral nerve-derived fibroblasts and cardiac fibroblasts on motoneurons.Compared with cardiac fibroblasts,peripheral nerve fibroblasts greatly promoted motoneuron neurite outgrowth.Transcriptome analysis results identified 491 genes that were differentially expressed in peripheral nerve fibroblasts and cardiac fibroblasts.Among these,130 were significantly upregulated in peripheral nerve fibroblasts compared with cardiac fibroblasts.These genes may be involved in axon guidance and neuron projection.Three days after sciatic nerve transection in rats,peripheral nerve fibroblasts accumulated in the proximal and distal nerve stumps,and most expressed brain-derived neurotrophic factor.In vitro,brain-derived neurotrophic factor secreted from peripheral nerve fibroblasts increased the expression ofβ-actin and F-actin through the extracellular regulated protein kinase and serine/threonine kinase pathways,and enhanced motoneuron neurite outgrowth.These findings suggest that peripheral nerve fibroblasts and cardiac fibroblasts exhibit different patterns of gene expression.Peripheral nerve fibroblasts can promote motoneuron neurite outgrowth.

Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells and neurotrophic factors in a rat model of vascular dementia following Xiongma drop pill versus Ginkgo leaf tablets

BACKGROUND： Previous studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of Xiongma drop pill （XMDP） in a mouse model of vascular dementia. Neurotrophic factors play an important role in repair and regeneration of injured neurons. OBJECTIVE： To compare the effects of XMDP and Ginkgo leaf tablets on the appearance and number of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, as well as neurotrophic factor content in brain tissues, during vascular dementia formation to explore the neuroprotective mechanisms of XMDP. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A randomized, controlled, animal experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Harbin University of Commerce between April 2007 and December 2008. MATERIALS： XMDP was prepared by the College of Pharmacy, Harbin University of Commerce, with each 40 mg pill containing ferulic acid （≥ 0.149 mg） and gastrodin （≥ 0.171 mg）. Ginkgo leaf tablets were purchased from Taiyuan Qianyuan Pharmacy, China. METHODS： Healthy, adult, male, Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups： sham-operation, model, XMDP （high-, middle-, and low- dose）, and Ginkgo leaf tablets. The 6 groups were subdivided into two subgroups according to administration days, i.e., 30 and 60 days, with 8 animals in each subgroup. Rats in the model, XMDP, and Ginkgo leaf tablets groups were subjected to permanent bilateral ligation of the common carotid artery to establish a vascular dementia model. At 8 days after model establishment, all groups received intragastric administration once daily of the following： 10 mL/kg normal saline in the sham-operation and model groups; 0.4, 0.2, and 0.1 g/kg XMDP in the high-, middle-, and low-dose XMDP groups, respectively; and 50 mg/kg Ginkgo leaf tablets in the Ginkgo leaf tablets group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe appearance and to quantify the number of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor concentrations in brain tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS： Following model establishment, hippocampal CA1 neurons exhibited pathological changes. Compared with the sham-operation group, the number of pyramidal neurons significantly decreased （P 〈 0.05 or P 〈 0.01）, and neurotrophic factor concentration increased in the model rats （P 〈 0.05 or P 〈 0.01）. XMDP attenuated neuronal injury in a dose-dependent manner： the number of pyramidal neurons and neurotrophic factor concentrations were significantly increased compared with the model group （P〈 0.05 or P〈 0.01）. High- and middle-dose XMDP resulted in equivalent effects to Ginkgo leaf tablets. In addition, neurotrophic factor concentrations in all XMDP groups, after 60 days of administration, were remarkably greater than corresponding concentrations at 30 days （P 〈 0.05 or P 〈 0.01 ）. CONCLUSION： Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells exhibited pathological injury following establishment of the vascular dementia model. Middle- and high-dose XMDP increased neurotrophic factor expression in the brain of vascular dementia rats, which suggested neuroprotection equivalent to Ginkgo leaf tablets.

Reduced mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor expression by mutant androgen receptor contributes to neurodegeneration in a model of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy pathology

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy is a neurodegenerative disease caused by extended CAG trinucleotide repeats in the androgen receptor gene,which encodes a ligand-dependent transcription facto r.The mutant androgen receptor protein,characterized by polyglutamine expansion,is prone to misfolding and forms aggregates in both the nucleus and cytoplasm in the brain in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy patients.These aggregates alter protein-protein interactions and compromise transcriptional activity.In this study,we reported that in both cultured N2a cells and mouse brain,mutant androgen receptor with polyglutamine expansion causes reduced expression of mesencephalic astrocyte-de rived neurotrophic factor.Overexpressio n of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor amelio rated the neurotoxicity of mutant androgen receptor through the inhibition of mutant androgen receptor aggregation.Conversely.knocking down endogenous mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor in the mouse brain exacerbated neuronal damage and mutant androgen receptor aggregation.Our findings suggest that inhibition of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor expression by mutant androgen receptor is a potential mechanism underlying neurodegeneration in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

The effects of exercise interventions on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in children and adolescents:a meta-analysis

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is a crucial neurotrophic factor that plays a significant role in brain health. Although the vast majority of meta-analyses have confirmed that exercise interventions can increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in children and adolescents, the effects of specific types of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are still controversial. To address this issue, we used meta-analytic methods to quantitatively evaluate, analyze, and integrate relevant studies. Our goals were to formulate general conclusions regarding the use of exercise interventions, explore the physiological mechanisms by which exercise improves brain health and cognitive ability in children and adolescents, and provide a reliable foundation for follow-up research. We used the Pub Med, Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley Online Library, Weipu, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases to search for randomized controlled trials examining the influences of exercise interventions on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in children and adolescents. The extracted data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.3. According to the inclusion criteria, we assessed randomized controlled trials in which the samples were mainly children and adolescents, and the outcome indicators were measured before and after the intervention. We excluded animal experiments, studies that lacked a control group, and those that did not report quantitative results. The mean difference(MD;before versus after intervention) was used to evaluate the effect of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in children and adolescents. Overall, 531 participants(60 children and 471 adolescents, 10.9–16.1 years) were included from 13 randomized controlled trials. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Q statistic and I^(2) test provided by Review Manager software. The meta-analysis showed that there was no heterogeneity among the studies(P = 0.67, I^(2) = 0.00%). The combined effect of the interventions was significant(MD = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.53–4.22, P < 0.0001), indicating that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels of the children and adolescents in the exercise group were significantly higher than those in the control group. In conclusion, different types of exercise interventions significantly increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in children and adolescents. However, because of the small sample size of this meta-analysis, more high-quality research is needed to verify our conclusions. This metaanalysis was registered at PROSPERO(registration ID: CRD42023439408).

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in the neuromuscular junction during developmental axonal competition and synapse elimination

During the development of the nervous system,there is an overproduction of neurons and synapses.Hebbian competition between neighboring nerve endings and synapses performing different activity levels leads to their elimination or strengthening.We have extensively studied the involvement of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-Tropomyosin-related kinase B receptor neurotrophic retrograde pathway,at the neuromuscular junction,in the axonal development and synapse elimination process versus the synapse consolidation.The purpose of this review is to describe the neurotrophic influence on developmental synapse elimination,in relation to other molecular pathways that we and others have found to regulate this process.In particular,we summarize our published results based on transmitter release analysis and axonal counts to show the different involvement of the presynaptic acetylcholine muscarinic autoreceptors,coupled to downstream serine-threonine protein kinases A and C(PKA and PKC)and voltage-gated calcium channels,at different nerve endings in developmental competition.The dynamic changes that occur simultaneously in several nerve terminals and synapses converge across a postsynaptic site,influence each other,and require careful studies to individualize the mechanisms of specific endings.We describe an activity-dependent balance(related to the extent of transmitter release)between the presynaptic muscarinic subtypes and the neurotrophin-mediated TrkB/p75NTR pathways that can influence the timing and fate of the competitive interactions between the different axon terminals.The downstream displacement of the PKA/PKC activity ratio to lower values,both in competing nerve terminals and at postsynaptic sites,plays a relevant role in controlling the elimination of supernumerary synapses.Finally,calcium entry through L-and P/Q-subtypes of voltage-gated calcium channels(both channels are present,together with the N-type channel in developing nerve terminals)contributes to reduce transmitter release and promote withdrawal of the most unfavorable nerve terminals during elimination(the weakest in acetylcholine release and those that have already become silent).The main findings contribute to a better understanding of punishment-rewarding interactions between nerve endings during development.Identifying the molecular targets and signaling pathways that allow synapse consolidation or withdrawal of synapses in different situations is important for potential therapies in neurodegenerative diseases.

Neuroprotection via maintenance or increase of antioxidants and neurotrophic factors in ischemic gerbil hippocampus treated with tanshinone I

Background Danshen （Radix Salvia miltiorrhizae） has been used as a traditional medicine in Asia for treatment of various microcirculatory disturbance related diseases. Tanshinones are mainly hydrophobic active components, which have been isolated from Danshen and show various biological functions. In this study, we observed the neuroprotective effect of tanshinone I （Tsl） against ischemic damage in the gerbil hippocampal CA1 region （CA1） after transient cerebral ischemia and examined its neuroprotective mechanism. Methods The gerbils were divided into vehicle-treated-sham-group, vehicle-treated-ischemia-group, Tsl-treated-sham- group, and Tsl-treated-ischemia-group. Tsl was administrated intraperitoneally three times （once a day for three days） before ischemia-reperfusion. The neuroprotective affect of Tsl was examined using H＆E staining, neuronal nuclei （NeuN） immunohistochemistry and Fluoro-Jade B staining. To investigate the neuroprotective mechanism of Tsl after ischemia- reperfusion, immunohistochemical （IHC） and Western blotting analyses for Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase （SOD1）, Mn- superoxide dismutase （SOD2）, brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） and insulin-like growth factor-I （IGF-I） were performed.Results Treatment with Tsl protected pyramidal neurons from ischemia-induced neuronal death in the CA1 after ischemia-reperfusion. In addition, treatment with Tsl maintained the levels of SOD1 and SOD2 as determined by IHC and Western blotting in the CA1 after ischemia- reperfusion compared with the vehicle-ischemia-group. In addition, treatment with Tsl increased the levels of BDNF and IGF-I determined by IHC and Westem blotting in the Tsl-treated-sham-group compared with the vehicle-treated- sham-group, and their levels were maintained in the stratum pyramidale of the ischemic CA1 in the Tsl-treated- ischemia-group. Conclusion Treatment with Tsl protects pyramidal neurons of the CA1 from ischemic damage induced by transient cerebral ischemia via the maintenance of antioxidants and the increase of neurotrophic factors.

Oligodendroglia and neurotrophic factors in neurodegeneration

Myelination by oligodendroglial cells （OLs） enables the propagation of action potentials along neuronal axons, which is essential for rapid information flow in the central nervous system. Besides saltatory conduction, the myelin sheath also protects axons against inflammatory and oxidative insults. Loss of myelin results in axonal damage and ultimately neuronal loss in demyelinating disorders. However, accumulating evidence indicates that OLs also provide support to neurons via mechanisms beyond the insulating function of myelin. More im- portantly, an increasing volume of reports indicates defects of OLs in numerous neurodegenerative diseases, sometimes even preceding neuronal loss in pre-symptomatic episodes, suggesting that OL pathology may be an important mechanism contributing to the initiation and/or progression of neurodegeneration. This review fo- cuses on the emerging picture of neuronal support by OLs in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders through diverse molecular and cellular mechanisms, including direct neuron-myelin interaction, metabolic sup- port by OLs, and neurotrophic factors produced by and/or acting on OLs.

Combination of Aβ clearance and neurotrophic factors as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease

There is no effective drug to treat Alzheimer＇s disease （AD）, a neurodegenerative disease affecting an estimated 30 million people around the world. Strongly supported by preclinical and clinical studies, amyloid-beta （Aβ） may be a target for developing drugs against AD. Meanwhile, the fact that localized neuronal death/loss and synaptic impairment occur in AD should also be considered. Neuronal regeneration, which does not occur normally in the mammalian central nervous system, can be promoted by neurotrophic factors （NTFs）. Evidence from clinical trials has shown that both Aβ clearance and NTFs are potentially effective in treating AD, thus a new approach combining Aβ clearance and administration of NTFs may be an effective therapeutic strategy.