Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36 amino acid peptide, is widely expressed in the mammalian
brain. Changes in NPY levels in different brain regions and plasma have been described in several neurodegenerative
diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis, and Machado-Joseph disease. The changes in NPY levels may reflect the
attempt to set up an endogenous neuroprotective mechanism to counteract the degenerative process.
Accumulating evidence indicates that NPY can function as an anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and
pro-phagocytic agent, which may be used effectively to halt or to slow down the progression of the
disease. In this review, we will focus on the neuroprotective roles of NPY in several neuropathological
conditions, with a particular focus on the anti-inflammatory properties of NPY.
Keywords:
Neuropeptide Y, neurodegenerative disease, neuroprotection, neuroinflammation, apoptosis, autophagy.
Graphical Abstract
[80]
Calabrese, E.J.; Bachmann, K.A.; Bailer, A.J.; Bolger, P.M.; Borak, J.; Cai, L.; Cedergreen, N.; Cherian, M.G.; Chiueh, C.C.; Clarkson, T.W.; Cook, R.R.; Diamond, D.M.; Doolittle, D.J.; Dorato, M.A.; Duke, S.O.; Feinendegen, L.; Gardner, D.E.; Hart, R.W.; Hastings, K.L.; Hayes, A.W.; Hoffmann, G.R.; Ives, J.A.; Jaworowski, Z.; Johnson, T.E.; Jonas, W.B.; Kaminski, N.E.; Keller, J.G.; Klaunig, J.E.; Knudsen, T.B.; Kozumbo, W.J.; Lettieri, T.; Liu, S.Z.; Maisseu, A.; Maynard, K.I.; Masoro, E.J.; McClellan, R.O.; Mehendale, H.M.; Mothersill, C.; Newlin, D.B.; Nigg, H.N.; Oehme, F.W.; Phalen, R.F.; Philbert, M.A.; Rattan, S.I.; Riviere, J.E.; Rodricks, J.; Sapolsky, R.M.; Scott, B.R.; Seymour, C.; Sinclair, D.A.; Smith-Sonneborn, J.; Snow, E.T.; Spear, L.; Stevenson, D.E.; Thomas, Y.; Tubiana, M.; Williams, G.M.; Mattson, M.P. Biological stress response terminology: Integrating the concepts of adaptive response and preconditioning stress within a hormetic dose-response framework.
Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 2007,
222(1), 122-128.
[
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2007.02.015] [PMID:
17459441]