Assessment of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and irisin concentration in children with chronic kidney disease: a pilot study.

Patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) are particularly placed at risk of multiorgan complications. One of them is malnutrition, which adds up to a higher mortality factor among them. This study was designed to determine the usefulness of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and irisin assays in the assessment of CKD development. The study group included 28 children with CKD at stages 2-5 treated conservatively. The outcome of our study revealed decreased serum BDNF and irisin levels in CKD patients, whereas urine concentrations were increased for BDNF and decreased for irisin, comparing to healthy controls. There was a positive correlation between anthropometric measures and urine BDNF concentration, as well as anthropometric measures and both serum and urine irisin levels in the study group, however no dependence of the tested markers on the stage of CKD was observed. In recent years, a role of myokines was described as vital for maintaining metabolic homeostasis therefore we suspect a potential role of these multifaceted markers in detecting malnutrition in CKD children.

The Role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in Diagnosis and Treatment of Epilepsy, Depression, Schizophrenia, Anorexia Nervosa and Alzheimer's Disease as Highly Drug-Resistant Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) belongs to the family of neurotrophins, which are growth factors with trophic effects on neurons. BDNF is the most widely distributed neurotrophin in the central nervous system (CNS) and is highly expressed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. Its distribution outside the CNS has also been demonstrated, but most studies have focused on its effects in neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite the advances in medicine in recent decades, neurological and psychiatric diseases are still characterized by high drug resistance. This review focuses on the use of BDNF in the developmental assessment, treatment monitoring, and pharmacotherapy of selected diseases, with a particular emphasis on epilepsy, depression, anorexia, obesity, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. The limitations of using a molecule with such a wide distribution range and inconsistent method of determination are also highlighted.