Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is a paralogous protein of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF). Both proteins have been reported to show a common cytoprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons as a secretory protein containing the KDEL-like motif of the ER retrieval signal at the C-terminus, RTDL in MANF and [Q/K]TEL in CDNF among many species, although functi...

Background/introduction Microbubbles (MBs) are small (1-5 μm diameter), perfluorcarbon gas filled lipid microspheres used for contrast enhancement during ultrasound imaging. MBs (Definity, others) are approved for contrast echocardiography and widely used (6 M patient injections) as ultrasound contrast agents with established pharmacokinetics and clearance data. Recent research has shifted to t...

Neuroinflammation is recognized as a major factor in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis and increasing evidence propose that microglia is the main source of inflammation contributing to the dopaminergic degeneration observed in PD. Several studies suggest that astrocytes could act as physiological regulators preventing excessive microglia responses. However, little is known regarding how ast...

Numerous lines of evidence previously indicated that conserved dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) has potential therapeutic value for Parkinson's disease (PD); however, this hypothesis remains controversial. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of engineered CDNF-expressing bone marrow stromal cells (CDNF-BMSCs) on dopaminergic (DA) neurons were evaluated in vivo. CDNF-BMSCs and contr...

Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) protects the nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons in rodent models of Parkinson's disease and restores DA circuitry when delivered after these neurons have begun to degenerate. These DA neurons have been suggested to transport striatal CDNF retrogradely to the substantia nigra (SN). However, in cultured cells the binding and internalization of ext...

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common disease that often results in axonal degeneration and the loss of neurons, ultimately leading to limited nerve regeneration and severe functional impairment. Currently, there are no effective treatments for PNI. In the present study, we transduced conserved dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in collagen tubes to inves...

Conserved dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), a member of the mammalian mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor family of conserved secreted factors, has been reported to protect and rescue dopaminergic neurons in vivo. PC12 pheochromocytoma cells are widely used as a cell model for Parkinson's disease (PD) for experimental studies. In the present study, PC12 cells were induced usi...

The short-chain branched fatty acid, valproic acid (2-propylpentanoicacid), has long been in use clinically as an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug. Recently, VPA has been shown to inhibit the activity of histone deacetylases (HDACs), resulting in chromatin remodelling and changes in gene expression. Although the molecular mechanism for VPA action in the central nervous system (CNS) is n...

........................................................................................................12 1. LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................14 1.1 NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS ....................................................................................14 1.2 THE GDNF FAMILY OF NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS ...................................

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with a progressive loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) and the accumulation of intracellular inclusions containing α-synuclein. Current therapies do not stop the progression of the disease, and the efficacy of these treatments wanes over time. Neurotrophic factors (NTFs) are naturally occurring p...