Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To review the recent progress in the role of thrombospondins (TSPs) in synapse formation in the central nervous system (CNS). METHODS: A wide range of domestic and foreign literature on the role of TSPs in the synapse formation of the CNS was reviewed. The role of TSPs in structural features, molecules, and related diseases was reviewed. RESULTS: As an oligosaccharide protein, TSPs play important roles in angiogenesis, inflammation, osteogenesis, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. In the nervous system, they bind to voltage-dependent calcium channels, neuronectin, and other extracellular matrix proteins and cell surface receptors, and participate in and regulate multiple processes such as synapse formation, maturation, and function in the CNS. CONCLUSION: TSPs as an oligomeric extracellular matrix protein play an important role in the formation of synapses and the repair of synapses after CNS injury.