This article reviews the wealth of papers dealing with the different effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, neurons, and neural stem cells (NSCs). EGF induces the in vitro and in vivo proliferation of NSCs, their migration, and their differentiation towards the neuroglial cell line. It interacts with extracellular matrix components. NSCs are distributed in different CNS areas, serve as a reservoir of multipotent cells, and may be increased during CNS demyelinating diseases. EGF has pleiotropic differentiative and proliferative effects on the main CNS cell types, particularly oligodendrocytes and their precursors, and astrocytes. EGF mediates the in vivo myelinotrophic effect of cobalamin on the CNS, and modulates the synthesis and levels of CNS normal prions (PrP^Cs), both of which are indispensable for myelinogenesis and myelin maintenance. EGF levels are significantly lower in the cerebrospinal fluid and spinal cord of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), which probably explains remyelination failure, also because of the EGF marginal role in immunology. When repeatedly administered, EGF protects mouse spinal cord from demyelination in various experimental models of autoimmune encephalomyelitis. It would be worth further investigating the role of EGF in the pathogenesis of MS because of its multifarious effects.

本文回顾了处理表皮生长因子 (EGF) 对少突胶质细胞、星形胶质细胞、神经元和神经干细胞 (NSC) 不同影响的大量论文。EGF 诱导 NSC 的体外和体内增殖、它们的迁移以及它们向神经胶质细胞系的分化。它与细胞外基质成分相互作用。NSC 分布在不同的 CNS 区域，作为多能细胞的储存库，并且在 CNS 脱髓鞘疾病期间可能增加。EGF 对主要的 CNS 细胞类型，特别是少突胶质细胞及其前体细胞和星形胶质细胞具有多效分化和增殖作用。EGF 介导钴胺素对 CNS 的体内髓鞘营养作用，并调节 CNS 正常朊病毒 (PrP ^Cs），这两者对于髓鞘生成和髓鞘维持都是必不可少的。多发性硬化症 (MS) 患者的脑脊液和脊髓中的 EGF 水平显着降低，这可能解释了髓鞘再生失败的原因，也是因为 EGF 在免疫学中的边缘作用。当反复给药时，EGF 可在自身免疫性脑脊髓炎的各种实验模型中保护小鼠脊髓免于脱髓鞘。由于 EGF 具有多种作用，因此值得进一步研究 EGF 在 MS 发病机制中的作用。