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A very technical journal article, which I would recommend only to = physicians, is in: Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci., USA; Vol. 94, pp 2019-2024, = March 1997. Below is the text of the 'abstract.' The full article is = on the WWW at: http://www.pnas.org ABSTRACT=20 Although immunosuppressant immunophilin ligands promote neurite = outgrowth in vitro, their neurotrophic activities are clearly = independent of their immunosuppressive activity. In the present report, = a novel nonimmunosuppressive immunophilin ligand, GPI-1046 = (3-(3-pyridyl)-1-propyl = (2S)-1-(3,3-dimethyl-1,2-dioxopentyl)-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylate) is = described. In vitro, GPI-1046 bound to FK506 binding protein-12 and = elicited neurite outgrowth from sensory neuronal cultures with picomolar = potency with maximal effects comparable to nerve growth factor. In vivo, = GPI-1046 stimulated the regeneration of lesioned sciatic nerve axons and = myelin levels. In the central nervous system, GPI-1046 promoted = protection and/or sprouting of serotonin-containing nerve fibers in = somatosensory cortex following parachloroamphetamine treatment. GPI-1046 = also induced regenerative sprouting from spared nigrostriatal = dopaminergic neurons following = 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine toxicity in mice or = 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) toxicity in rats. The rotational abnormality = in 6-OHDA treated rats was alleviated by GPI-1046. These neurotrophic = actions in multiple models suggest therapeutic utility for GPI-1046 in = neurodegenerative diseases.