Neuroglobin Expression in the Brain: a Story of Tissue Homeostasis Preservation

After its discovery in 2000, the notion grew that neuroglobin, a neuronal specific heme protein, is involved in cytoprotection. To date, neuroglobin levels have been positively correlated with a beneficial outcome in a plethora of neurotoxic insults, e.g., ischemic and traumatic brain injuries and Alzheimer's disease. The first part of this review goes further into these changes of neuroglobin expression upon different neuronal insults as well as the underlying regulation. In the second part, we shed light on the mechanisms by which neuroglobin contributes to neuroprotection, being (i) the scavenging and detoxification of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, (ii) the augmentation of the threshold for apoptosis initiation, (iii) its contribution to an anti-inflammatory milieu, and (iv) tissue regeneration. We also consider different neuroglobin models to address as yet unanswered questions. Based on the recent findings and progress in the field, we invigorate the avenues of neuroglobin in neurological ailments to increase in the coming years.