ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the rapidly evolving field of neurotrophic factors and focuses on animal studies that have revealed the therapeutic potential of these proteins for central nervous system (CNS) injury and chronic degenerative disorders. It discusses a selected number of factors to illustrate several concepts related to neurotrophic factor treatment strategies for CNS injury and also focuses on the effects of neurotrophic factors on neurons. Developing neurons become dependent for their survival on neurotrophic factors, typically ~10- to 30-kDa proteins which originate from their neural surroundings and/or innervation territory. Neurotrophic factors with structural and functional homology to nerve growth factor (NGF) have been found and together form the neurotrophin family that consists of NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3, -4/5, and -6. Exogenous NGF can replace the putative endogenous neurotrophic factors of the graft, suggesting that neurotrophic factors can facilitate regeneration into mechanochemical scaffolds with appropriate substrates.
