What’s Nerve Growth Factor?

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Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a type of neurotrophin molecule that controls the creation of the nervous system in embryos and regulates neuron function, growth and repair in adults. To fulfill these roles, an NGF molecule must attach to the receptor on a neuron, also known as a nerve cell. The symmetrical design of the nerve growth factor molecule allows it to attach to nerve cells using either side or to attach to two cells at the same time. Alpha polypeptide chains, beta polypeptide chains, and gamma polypeptide chains comprise protein-based NGF.

Since it was discovered in the 1960s, nerve growth factor has been used to treat several ailments and diseases. In particular, the beta polypeptide chains of NGF have been successful in treating Alzheimer’s disease because they stimulate cell growth activity in nerves; Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the degeneration and death of cholinergic nerve cells. This decay of nerve cells delays memory and interferes with cognition by confusing the signals sent between neurons that govern sensation, thought and movement. Even physical tasks become more difficult with the loss of these neurons.

The beta polypeptides in nerve growth factor, however, trigger the regrowth and repair of neurons, keeping them from dying. NGF cannot create new neurons; they simply make existing neurons grow. When a human being is born, he has all the neurons he will ever have, which is over 100 billion. Over time, trauma, age, and disease cause these neurons to die, creating ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

In medical tests at several universities, Alzheimer’s patients receiving brain injections of NGF demonstrated a nearly 50 percent decrease in nerve cell decay; they also experienced regrowth and repair of damaged neurons. These same patients experienced enhanced memory and improved cognition. The enhanced neurons were able to build new synapses, or connections, with other cells, improving the brain’s ability to think.

NGF has also been used to treat spinal cord injuries, corneal ulcers in the eyes, and heart trauma after heart surgery or cardiac arrest by stimulating the growth of new blood vessels. Nerve growth factor antibodies are also used in medical therapy, as too much NGF can be dangerous. Pain such as gout, back pain, and bladder inflammation is often associated with high concentrations of nerve growth factor; antibodies reduce pain. Excessively high levels of NGF have also been linked to asthma, cancer tumor growth, and worsening acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

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