Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Its Potential Therapeutic Role in Stroke Comorbidities

• Published in: Journal of neural transplantation & plasticity Vol. 2020; no. 2020; pp. 1 - 13
• Main Authors: Wang, Guan, O’Connor, Margaret, Wang, Xiaohui, Liu, Wei, Han, Fang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2020; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Animals; Brain - drug effects; Brain - physiopathology; Brain damage; Brain research; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - administration & dosage; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - physiology; Cell cycle; Clinical trials; Comorbidity; Cytotoxicity; Disease; Drug development; Free radicals; Health aspects; Hemorrhage; Humans; Ischemia; Kinases; Medical prognosis; Mental disorders; Nerve Growth Factors - physiology; Nervous system; Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects; Neurons; Neuroplasticity; Pathogenesis; Permeability; Physiology; Proteins; R&D; Rehabilitation; Research & development; Review; Signal Transduction; Stroke; Stroke (Disease); Stroke - complications; Stroke - physiopathology; Stroke - therapy; Traumatic brain injury; China
• ISSN: 2090-5904; 0792-8483; 1687-5443; 1687-5443
• DOI: 10.1155/2020/1969482

With the rise in the aging global population, stroke comorbidities have become a serious health threat and a tremendous economic burden on human society. Current therapeutic strategies mainly focus on protecting neurons from cytotoxic damage at the acute phase upon stroke onset, which not only is a difficult way to ameliorate stroke symptoms but also presents a challenge for the patients to receive effective treatment in time. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most abundant neurotrophin in the adult brain, which possesses a remarkable capability to repair brain damage. Recent promising preclinical outcomes have made BDNF a popular late-stage target in the development of novel stroke treatments. In this review, we aim to summarize the latest progress in the understanding of the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying stroke pathogenesis, current strategies and difficulties in drug development, the mechanism of BDNF action in poststroke neurorehabilitation and neuroplasticity, and recent updates in novel therapeutic methods.