Neurotrophins are a
family of
proteins that regulate different aspects of
biological development and neural function and are of great importance in
neuroplasticity. This group of
proteins has multiple functions in neuronal
cells, as well as in other cellular
populations.
Nerve growth factor (
NGF) is a
neurotrophin that is endogenously produced during development and maturation by multiple
cell types, including
neurons,
Schwann cells,
oligodendrocytes,
lymphocytes,
mast cells,
macrophages,
keratinocytes, and
fibroblasts. These
cells produce proNGF, which is transformed by proteolytic cleavage into the biologically active
NGF in the
endoplasmic reticulum. The present
review describes the
role of
NGF in the
pathogenesis of
leprosy and its correlations with different clinical forms of the
disease and with the phenomena of
regeneration and neural
injury observed during
infection. We discuss the involvement of
NGF in the induction of neural damage and the pathophysiology of
pain associated with
peripheral neuropathy in
leprosy. We also discuss the
roles of
immune factors in the evolution of this pathological process. Finally, we highlight avenues of investigation for
future research to broaden our
understanding of the
role of
NGF in the
pathogenesis of
leprosy. Our
analysis of the
literature indicates that
NGF plays an important
role in the evolution and outcome of
Mycobacterium leprae infection. The findings described here highlight an important area of investigation, as
leprosy is one of the main causes of
infection in the
peripheral nervous system