[Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) in neurodegenerative disorders]

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are a family consisting of at least seven members, and the FGF family will continue to expand. The best studied members of this family are acidic and basic FGF (aFGF and bFGF). They are richly concentrated in brain, and have potent trophic effects for neurons and glia. I now report that expressions of aFGF and bFGF are altered in several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease (AD), Huntington disease (HD) and Parkinson disease (PD). In AD aFGF was upregulated in reactive astrocytes in severely affected areas. The bFGF-positive astrocytes were also increased. In addition, bFGF was detected in senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuropil threads. In AD, aFGF and bFGF showed a similar alteration pattern. A large number of aFGF- or bFGF-positive astrocytes were observed in the striatum. Some remaining neurons were strongly stained for aFGF or bFGF. In PD, marked loss of bFGF was observed on midbrain dopaminergic neurons, The depletion of bFGF preceded the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase. Since bFGF has a potent trophic effect on midbrain dopaminergic neurons, this depletion may be related to the disease process.