Restorative neurology and neuroscience
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Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. · Jan 2018
Assessment of systemic administration of PEGylated IGF-1 in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury can result in lasting cognitive dysfunction due to degeneration of mature hippocampal neurons as well as the loss of immature neurons within the dentate gyrus. While endogenous neurogenesis affords a partial recovery of the immature neuron population, hippocampal neurogenesis may be enhanced through therapeutic intervention. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has the potential to improve cognitive function and promote neurogenesis after TBI, but its short half-life in the systemic circulation makes it difficult to maintain a therapeutic concentration. IGF-1 modified with a polyethylene glycol moiety (PEG-IGF-1) exhibits improved stability and half-life while retaining its ability to enter the brain from the periphery, increasing its viability as a translational approach. ⋯ In contrast to its efficacy in rodent models of neurodegenerative diseases, PEG- IGF-1 was not effective in ameliorating early neuronal loss after contusion brain trauma.