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Review
. 2023 Apr 11;24(8):7089.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24087089.

Neurotrophins: Expression of Brain-Lung Axis Development

Sara Manti  1 , Federica Xerra  1 , Giulia Spoto  2 , Ambra Butera  2 , Eloisa Gitto  3 , Gabriella Di Rosa  2 , Antonio Gennaro Nicotera  2
Affiliations
Review

Neurotrophins: Expression of Brain-Lung Axis Development

Sara Manti et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Neurotrophins (NTs) are a group of soluble growth factors with analogous structures and functions, identified initially as critical mediators of neuronal survival during development. Recently, the relevance of NTs has been confirmed by emerging clinical data showing that impaired NTs levels and functions are involved in the onset of neurological and pulmonary diseases. The alteration in NTs expression at the central and peripheral nervous system has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders with an early onset and severe clinical manifestations, often named "synaptopathies" because of structural and functional synaptic plasticity abnormalities. NTs appear to be also involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of several airway diseases, neonatal lung diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, lung fibrosis, and even lung cancer. Moreover, they have also been detected in other peripheral tissues, including immune cells, epithelium, smooth muscle, fibroblasts, and vascular endothelium. This review aims to provide a comprehensive description of the NTs as important physiological and pathophysiological players in brain and lung development.

Keywords: brain; development; lung; neurotrophic factors; neurotrophins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Neurotrophins: Role and effects. Legend: NGF = nerve growth factor; BDNF = brain-derived neurotrophic factor; NT = neurotrophin; Trk = tropomyosin-related kinase P75NTR = P75 neurotrophin receptor.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of NTs’ role during pregnancy in humans and rodents. The upper part of the figure shows the role of NTs in the development of the brain and the lungs. In the lower part of the figure, the boxes display the involvement of the NTs at different gestational ages in human and rodent embryos/fetuses. Legend: BDNF = brain-derived neurotrophic factor; ED = embryonic day; NGF = nerve growth factor; NT = neurotrophin; PCW = post-conceptional week; PD = postnatal day; p75NTR = p75 neurotrophin receptor; Trk = tropomyosin-related kinase; 5-HT = serotonin; ↓: decrease; ↑: increase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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