Partners in crime: NGF and BDNF in visceral dysfunction.

Partners in crime: NGF and BDNF in visceral dysfunction. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2019 Jun 16;: Authors: Coelho A, Oliveira R, Antunes-Lopes T, Cruz CD Abstract Neurotrophins (NTs), particularly Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), have attracted increasing attention in the context of visceral function for some years. Here, we examined current literature and produced a thorough review on the subject. After initial studies linking NGF to cystitis, it is now well-established that this neurotrophin (NT) is a key modulator of bladder pathologies, including Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis (BPS/IC) and Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS. NGF is upregulated in bladder tissue and its blockade results in major improvements on urodynamic parameters and pain. Further studies expanded showed that NGF is also an intervenient in other visceral dysfunctions such as endometriosis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). More recently, BDNF was also shown to play an important role in the same visceral dysfunctions, suggesting that both NTs are determinant factors in visceral pathophysiological mechanisms. While manipulation of NGF and BDNF improves visceral function and reduce pain, suggesting that clinical modulation of these NTs may be important, much is still to be investigated before this step is taken. Another active area of research is centred on urinary NGF and BDNF. Several studies ...
Source: Current Neuropharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Curr Neuropharmacol Source Type: research