Perineuronal net component (PNN component)

Perineuronal net components are a group of extracellular matrix macromolecules — chiefly "chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans" (aggrecan, brevican, neurocan, versican), "hyaluronan", "link proteins" (HAPLN1, HAPLN4), and "tenascin-R" — that condense around certain classes of neurons in the central nervous system to form a mesh-like structure, the perineuronal net[1][2][3][4][5][8]. These nets regulate synaptic plasticity, stabilize synapses, protect neurons from oxidative damage, and play key regulatory roles in critical period closure during development and adult CNS plasticity. Rather than a classical single drug target, the perineuronal net represents a regulatory “scaffold” whose manipulation (usually by enzymatic degradation) is an emerging therapeutic strategy in CNS repair and disease modification research.

Other names

Perineuronal net moleculePNN moleculeECM component of PNN

Enzymatic degradation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (e.g., ChABC increases CNS plasticity) Enzymatic degradation of hyaluronan (hyaluronidase) Modulation of ECM to promote or inhibit synaptic plasticity