It has been reported recently that the immunosuppressant FK506 produced neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons in vitro and in vivo. We investigated whether tripchlorolide, an immunosuppressive extract of Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, could exert similar neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects similar to those of FK506. It was found that tripchlorolide p...

Cattle encephalon glycoside and ignotin injection offers neural protection after cerebral apoplexy clinically, but the exact mechanism of the protective effect is unclear. We performed primary culture of neurons and astrocytes and simulated ischemic brain damage using AAPH and discussed the action mechanism of cattle encephalon glycoside and ignotin injection. Results showed that cattle encepha...

Neurotrophic support is generally believed to result from a direct action of growth factors on developing neurons. However, there is increasing evidence that growth factors can indirectly affect neuronal development by glial-mediated processes. To investigate a possible role of glia in mediating neurotrophic effects on dopaminergic neurons, four purified growth factors were screened for dual ef...

Neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT3), and neurotrophin-4/5 (NT4/5) play an important role in the regulation of nervous system development and adult nervous system plasticity, maintenance of structural integrity, and mediation of defensive responses after CNS injuries. NGF, probably the most widely studied neurotro...

Mice experiencing repeated aggression develop a long-lasting aversion to social contact, which can be normalized by chronic, but not acute, administration of antidepressant. Using viral-mediated, mesolimbic dopamine pathway-specific knockdown of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), we showed that BDNF is required for the development of this experience-dependent social aversion. Gene profil...

Current gene therapy models for Parkinson's disease (PD) have adapted two treatment strategies. One is to restore dopamine (DA) production by delivering the genes of DA-synthesizing enzymes such as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) to the striatum to relieve motor symptoms of PD. Another is to block or slow down progressive degenerative changes by delivering neurotrophic factors such as glial cell line...

Human amniotic epithelial cells (HAEC) are formed from epiblasts on the 8th day after fertilization. Because they lack major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen, human amniotic tissue transplantation has been used for allotranplantation to treat patients with lysosomal diseases. We have provided evidence that HAEC have multiple functions such as synthesis and release of acetylcholine (ACh)...

Nitroglycerin, long known as a safe and effective dilator of the large coronary arteries, has recently been shown to dilate the basilar artery of the dog after experimentally induced vasospasm. In this study we have evaluated the effects of intravenous nitroglycerin on local cerebral blood flow (H2 clearance technique) and intracranial pressure (intracisternal needle monitor) in normal beagle d...

3 4 ABSTRACT Rati onal e Dopamine synthesizing neurons are involved in a wide variety of functions. The most prominent dopamine pathways originate in the midbrain. The development, function and survival of these dopaminergic neurons are under the influence of numerous transcription and neurotrophic factors. Subtle differences in the genes encoding these factors may be of importance for several ...