A possible role of transthyretin in the biological mechanism of regulatory peptide neuroprotection

The peptide preparation semax has been effectively used for therapy of ischemic stroke. However, the mechanisms of its action are insufficiently understood and actively studied. The full-genome analysis of the transcriptome carried out in our recent work demonstrated that under conditions of focal ischemia of rat brain the semax modified the profile of the transcription activity of many genes. In this case, the difference in the transcription levels of the gene encoding the protein transthyretin (Ttr) expression in rats under the pathological conditions of ischemia and in the presence of semax was very high. A high similarity between the effects of Ttr and coupled molecular systems with the semax effects in ischemic stroke allowed us to suggest that the neuroprotection mechanisms of semax (and, possibly, of other neuroprotection mechanisms of semax) may be mediated by Ttr. In this review, we discuss the role of Ttr in the central nervous system and its possible role in the neuroprotection mechanism of semax.