Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in pathophysiological mechanisms in neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia (SZ), as well as neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). An imbalance or insufficient pro-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) transformation into mature BDNF (mBDNF) is potentially critical to the disease pathogenesis by impairing neuronal plasticity as suggested by results from many studies. Thus, promoting proBDNF transformation into mBDNF is therefore hypothesized as beneficial for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. ProBDNF is proteolytically cleaved into the mBDNF by intracellular furin/proprotein convertases and extracellular proteases (plasmin/matrix metallopeptidases). This article reviews the mechanisms of the conversion of proBDNF to mBDNF and the research status of intracellular/extracellular proteolytic proteases for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

脑源性神经营养因子 (BDNF) 参与神经精神疾病的病理生理机制，包括抑郁症、焦虑症和精神分裂症 (SZ)，以及帕金森病 (PD) 和阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 等神经退行性疾病。许多研究结果表明，前脑源性神经营养因子 (proBDNF) 转化为成熟 BDNF (mBDNF) 的不平衡或不足可能通过损害神经元可塑性对疾病的发病机制至关重要。因此，促进 proBDNF 转化为 mBDNF 被假设为有益于治疗神经精神和神经退行性疾病。ProBDNF 被细胞内弗林蛋白酶/前蛋白转化酶和细胞外蛋白酶（纤溶酶/基质金属肽酶）蛋白水解切割成 mBDNF。