ABSTRACT
Inflammation is a physiological process involved in disease pathogenesis as well as tissue repair. The inflammatory process, consisting of both humoral and cellular mediators, may act directly, or indirectly, on primary neurons and associated supporting cells. While studies of peptide functions in repair of neurons in the adult animal remain to be performed, our work on the role of peptides during neuronal development may provide some clues. The nervous system regulates diverse body functions, from the relatively “simple” and automatic, such as respiration, to the highly integrative and complex, such as cognition and memory. The characteristic patterns of neurogenesis exhibited by different neuronal populations naturally lead to questions regarding underlying mechanisms. The dramatic effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in culture indicated that the peptide promoted mitosis, survival, and differentiation simultaneously in sympathetic neuroblasts. In light of the absence of ganglion nonneuronal cells in this system, VIP effects were elicited by direct actions of the peptide on the precursors themselves.
