Recent advance in neuroglobin in central nervous system injury

As a newly discovered type of oxygen-carrying protein, neuroglobin(Ngb) is mainly presented in neurons in the form of monomers, which is closely related to oxygen supply in brain tissues. Neuronal apoptosis and necrosis caused by central nervous system injury aggravate the degrees of cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, and further induce the Ngb high expression, thus exerting a significant neuroprotective effect. As oxygen receptor and oxygen-carrying protein, Ngb can exert endogenous neuroprotective effects under hypoxic conditions and reduce the degree of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. In this paper, we summarize the structure and function of Ngb, and explore the expression changes and mechanism of Ngb in various types of central nervous system injury. Key words: Neuroglobin; Central nervous system injury; Neuroprotection