Technical Articles

CNTF is an IL-6 family neurotrophic cytokine acting through CNTFR/gp130/LIFR. This article covers its neuroprotective mechanisms, retinal ganglion cell evidence and activity determination with recombinant rat CNTF.

Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) was initially discovered in the ciliary ganglia of chickens and is a cytokine belonging to the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family. It is mainly produced by glial cells (such as astrocytes and Schwann cells) and expressed in the peripheral and central nervous systems.

In the field of ophthalmology, optic nerve diseases such as glaucoma have always been one of the main causes of blindness. As an important research object for optic nerve protection, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is gradually entering the public eye.