Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF), a Pleiotropic Cytokine: Potential Biomarker of Brain Diseases?

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a pluripotent neurotrophic factor with a high neuroprotective potential, a neurocytokine that has shown potential in therapy of neurodegenerative, mental and metabolic diseases. Pre-clinical data support the general concept of its promising survival and trophic effects, while recent clinical data support the theoretical role of CNTF for treating neurodegeneration and obesity. The data of occasional studies on CNTF levels in invasive (blood) and non-invasive (tears) human biomaterial suggest its potential use as a biomarker of selected brain diseases, though additional studies should be performed to validate it.