Title:Nerve Growth Factor: Early Studies and Recent Clinical Trials
Volume: 16
Issue: 10
Author(s): Maria Luisa Rocco, Marzia Soligo, Luigi Manni and Luigi Aloe*
Affiliation:
- Fondazione IRET ONLUS, Ozzano Emilia,Italy
Keywords:
Nerve growth factor (NGF), nerve cells, cutaneous cells, visual cells, cancer cells, brain traumas.
Abstract: Since its discovery, nerve growth factor (NGF) has long occupied a critical role in developmental
and adult neurobiology for its many important regulatory functions on the survival,
growth and differentiation of nerve cells in the peripheral and central nervous system. NGF is the
first discovered member of a family of neurotrophic factors, collectively indicated as neurotrophins,
(which include brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3 and neurotrophin 4/5). NGF was
discovered for its action on the survival and differentiation of selected populations of peripheral
neurons. Since then, an enormous number of basic and human studies were undertaken to explore
the role of purified NGF to prevent the death of NGF-receptive cells. These studies revealed that
NGF possesses important therapeutic properties, after topical administration, on human cutaneous
pressure ulcer, corneal ulcers, glaucoma, retinal maculopathy, Retinitis Pigmentosa and in pediatric
optic gliomas and brain traumas. The aim of this review is to present our previous, recent and ongoing
clinical studies on the therapeutic properties of NGF.
