Role and therapeutic implications of protein glycosylation in neuroinflammation

Abstract

The importance of glycosylation (post-translational attachment of glycan residues to proteins) in the context of neuroinflammation is only now beginning to be understood. Although the glycome is challenging to investigate due to its complexity, this field is gaining interest because of the emergence of novel analytical methods. These investigations offer the possibility of further understanding the molecular signature of disorders with underlying neuroinflammatory cascades. In this review, we portray the clinically relevant trends in glyconeurobiology and suggest glyco-related paths that could be targeted therapeutically to decrease neuroinflammation. A combinatorial insight from glycobiology and neurology can be harnessed to better understand neuroinflammatory-related conditions to identify relevant molecular targets.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01119833 NCT02187003 NCT03404869 NCT03832946.

Keywords: brain; glycosylation; neurodegenerative diseases; neuroinflammation; spinal cord injury; traumatic brain injury.