Views and opinion on BDNF as a target for diabetic cognitive dysfunction

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a known cause of cognitive dysfunction and involves increased risk of dementia. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of neurotrophic family of nerve growth factors, a key protein in promoting memory, growth and survival of neurons. BDNF is recognized as a metabotrophic factor, a molecule that is involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as in other neurological disorders. It provides cellular and local regulatory mechanisms for mediating synaptic plasticity. Impaired BDNF signaling can compromise many aspects of brain functions. Studies investigating the relationship between diabetes and BDNF in adults demonstrate that BDNF levels are decreased in T2DM and are regulated in response to plasma levels of glucose. BDNF could serve as biomarker in predicting the development of obesity and T2DM. Thirty-two cavities were predicted to locate the active sites of BDNF for the ligands to bind. The shape of the site was identified by extracting the cavity volume surfaces enclosing regions with highest probability. Different ligands can be chosen for interaction of active sites of BDNF and can be targeted for drug discovery. This review focuses on computational exploitation selectively to deliver BDNF as a drug to appropriate hypothalamic neurons, which can serve as a novel approach in diabetic encephalopathy treatment.