Neurturin Gene Therapy Protects Parasympathetic Function to Prevent Irradiation-Induced Murine Salivary Gland Hypofunction.

ABSTRACT: Head and neck cancer patients treated with irradiation often present irreversible salivary gland hypofunction for which no conventional treatment exists. We recently showed that recombinant neurturin, a neurotrophic factor, improves epithelial regeneration of mouse salivary glands in ex vivo culture after irradiation by reducing apoptosis of parasympathetic neurons. Parasympathetic innervation is essential to maintain progenitor cells during gland development and for regeneration of adult glands. Here, we investigated whether a neurturin-expressing adenovirus could be used for gene therapy in vivo to protect parasympathetic neurons and prevent gland hypofunction after irradiation. First, ex vivo fetal salivary gland culture was used to compare the neurturin adenovirus with recombinant neur

SUBMITTER: Ferreira JNA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5857485 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature