Many groups, including ours, have proved that MANF rescues neuronal loss in several neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and cerebral ischemia.
Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) was originally identified as a secreted trophic factor for dopamine neurons <i>in vitro.</i> It protects and restores damaged cells in rodent models of Parkinson's disease, brain and heart ischemia, spinocerebellar ataxia and retina <i>in vivo</i>.
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), and mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) have shown neuroprotective and restorative effects on nigral dopaminergic neurons in various animal models of Parkinson's disease.
MANF can attenuate the neuronal lesion in MPTP/MPP<sup>+</sup>-induced PD mice, which may be related to the improvement of mitochondrial function and inhibition of oxidative stress.
Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) and mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) promote the survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons which degenerate in Parkinson's disease (PD).
Intrastriatal injection of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) protein has been shown to provide neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) - lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease.
In particular, studies employing glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its family member neurturin (NRTN), as well as the recently described cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) and the mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) have shown positive results in protecting and repairing dopaminergic neurons in various models of PD.
Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) protects neurons and repairs the Parkinson disease-like symptoms in a rat 6-hydroxydopamine model.
The rescue experiments confirm DmMANF as a functional ortholog of the human MANF gene thus opening the window for comparative studies of this protein family with potential for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.