STAMPA ANN.03-06 - Aloe

INTRODUCTION Several lines of evidence indicate that alcohol exposure during prenatal gestation can influence cell proliferation and differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS) causing brain growth retardation and deficits in the limbic areas involved in cognitive functions [1-4]. The cellular, biochemical and molecular mechanism implicated in the deleterious action of alcohol intake are not fully known. Studies reported in recent years led to the hypothesis that alcohol can act on biological mediators, including growth factors synthesis and release by cells of the CNS. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a member of the family of proteins known as neurotrophins, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and NT-4/5 and NGF is one of the most thoroughly studied neurotrophic factors, playing a crucial role in the survival and development of specific peripheral and brain neurons [5-10]. NGF is produced and released by a variety of cells localized in the central and peripheral nervous system and by cells of the immune and endocrine systems [11]. Under normal conditions NGF is present in the bloodstream of rodents and humans and increases during stressful events, neuroendocrine alterations, and following neurological insults [12, 13]. Within the CNS, NGF is produced in frontal cortex, the hippocampus (HI) and the hypothalamus and exerts a trophic action on the cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain, particularly at the level of the medial septum and the nucleus basalis of Meynert and Broca’s diagonal band, both during development and in adulthood [8, 10]. Studies published in recent years have shown that alcohol abuse can also lead to immune neuroimmune-related pathologies suggesting that NGF plays a crucial role of survival, differentiation and function, not only of nerve cells, but also of immuno-competent cells [11, 12]. Alcohol intake during prenatal life affects neuroimmune mediators and brain neurogenesis