Neurofilament

Neurofilament (NF) is a type IV intermediate fibrin, which is a macromolecular complex formed by the light chain, medium chain, and heavy chain. NF is only restrictively expressed in neurons, which forms the cytoskeleton of neuronal axons with microtubules and microfilaments, participating in the maintenance of normal neuronal structure and the regulation of neural signal transduction. In clinical practice, NF can serve as a specific biomarker for detecting neurogenic tumors, playing an important medical role in the diagnosis of various diseases such as neuroblastoma, ganglioglioma, and pheochromocytoma. Meanwhile, some research has shown that NF is expressed in lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and other tumors, which is related to the good prognosis of patients. However, some studies suggest that the expression of NF is related to the invasion of prostate cancer, so its value in prognosis evaluation needs further analysis. In addition, NF in serum and cerebrospinal fluid has been identified as an indicator of axonal injury in various central nervous system diseases.