Nerve growth factor and diabetic neuropathy

Introduction. The progress made by contemporary neurobiology opens new horizons both for study and for treatment of disorders of the nervous system. At the present time rue are in the age of growth factors. these are molecules which affect survival, development and the normal functioning of cell populations. Development. One of the most widely studied growth factors is nervous growth factor (NGF) which is necessary for normal life of various types of neurones, including sensory nerves and nerves derived from the neural crests. Diabetic neuropathy, worldwide a major neurological disorder is primarily characterized by involvement of the fine fibres for temperature and pain perception and also by a variety autonomic disorders. The great dependence of sensory and sympathetic nerves on NGF, the quantity of results which show alterations in the levels of neurotrophic factors in diabetic neuropathy (DN), and the encouraging experimental and clinical results of using NGF as a new alternative to treatment with DN, were the basic reasons which led rls to do this study Conclusions. We star red by considering neurotrophic factors, especially NGF and its connection with DN disorders and its clinical applications, we made a summary of the main findings in this field to date [REV NEUROL 1998; 26; 1032-9].