Neurotrophic Factors Therapies Study

In recent years, the application of trophic factors to affected areas of PD has emerged as a promising strategy. As a senior expert in the field of neuroscience, Creative Biolabs has extensive experience in Parkinson's disease (PD) mechanism of action (MoA) studies. With our advanced platform and professional scientists, Creative Biolabs is committed to providing diverse services to customers all over the world, from animal model establishment to experimental results analysis.

Introduction to Neurotrophic factors (NTFs)

NTFs are secreted proteins that play critical roles in promoting development, affecting neuronal survival and axonal growth, and regulating neuronal function. Most NTFs are members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and growth/differentiation factor (GDF). In the adult nervous system, NTFs appear to be necessary for the continued survival and phenotype maintenance of mature neurons. Furthermore, NTFs have been shown to act as anti-stimulants and antioxidants, closely associated with enhanced mitochondrial function. They are also involved in the up-regulation of calcineurin and anti-apoptotic factors. For these reasons, NTFs are regarded as an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neurological diseases.

Fig.1 Major neurotrophin signaling. (Houlton, et al., 2019)

NTFs and PD

In PD, nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons are progressively lost. With this loss below a critical level, drug therapy is less effective. Therefore, preventing cell death is a critical step in the treatment of PD. Over the past few decades, neuroprotective therapy of NTFs to relieve PD symptoms has gradually attracted widespread attention. NTFs are key regulators in the development, survival and maintenance of specific neuronal populations. Notably, these factors have the potential to slow, stop, or reverse the loss of DA neurons in PD. Studies in animal models have shown that neurotrophic factors have great potential in protecting degenerated dopamine neurons and promoting the regeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine system.

NTFs Therapies for PD

In PD, cell death signatures involve localized regions of a single neuronal cell type, providing a discrete therapeutic target. In addition, the replacement of dopamine with exogenous levodopa is effective in PD therapy. Importantly, the available treatments do not alter the underlying disease process. For these reasons, PD is an important pioneer in NTF therapy. Most importantly, NTFs therapies offer several advantages over existing PD therapies, such as NTFs protecting remaining nigrostriatal DA neurons from further damage in addition to treating disease symptoms. In vitro research has identified a number of NTF candidates that are potent for DA neurons, with encouraging results.

Creative Biolabs specializes in providing customized services to customers around the world based on your specific needs, such as disease modeling and small molecule validation to help you gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of PD. Please contact us in time for more details.

Reference

1. Houlton, J.; et al. Therapeutic potential of neurotrophins for repair after brain injury: a helping hand from biomaterials. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2019, 13: 790.