Abstract
Central
nervous system (CNS) neurons typically fail to regrow their
axons after injury. Injuries or neuropathies that damage CNS axons
and disrupt neuronal circuitry often result in permanent functional
deficits. Axon regeneration is therefore an intensely pursued therapeutic
strategy for numerous CNS disorders. Phenotypic screens utilizing
primary neurons have proven successful at identifying agents that
promote axon regeneration
in vivo
. Here, we report
the screening of mixture-based combinatorial small molecule libraries
in a phenotypic assay utilizing primary CNS neurons and the discovery
of neurite outgrowth promoters with low nanomolar potency.
