{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T12:36:02Z","timestamp":1787315762890,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787270400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Memantine, an uncompetitive and voltage-dependent N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, is clinically established for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Its pharmacodynamic profile, low-to-moderate affinity, rapid open-channel block, and strong voltage dependency allows selective inhibition of pathological NMDA overactivation while preserving physiological neurotransmission. Increasing evidence shows that these same mechanistic principles operate in the peripheral nervous system, where NMDA receptors contribute to excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and maladaptive nociceptive signaling. Purpose: To synthesize emerging preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrating memantine\u2019s modulatory and neuroprotective actions in peripheral neurons and glia and to outline implications for drug repurposing across neurology, pain medicine, oncology, supportive care, and ophthalmology. Methodology: A narrative integration of mechanistic studies, in vivo preclinical models, and heterogeneous clinical trials evaluating memantine\u2019s effects on peripheral sensory neurons, autonomic neurons, Schwann cells, retinal ganglion cells, and neuromuscular junction physiology. Evidence was examined across conditions involving excitotoxicity, oxidative injury, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptotic signaling, neuroinflammation, and neuropathic pain amplification. Results: Memantine consistently attenuates peripheral excitotoxic calcium influx, suppresses NOX-2\u2013mediated ROS generation, stabilizes mitochondrial membrane potential, modulates Bax\/Bcl-2 signaling, and reduces neuroinflammatory cytokine activity. It also inhibits dorsal horn wind-up selectively under neuropathic conditions. These convergent mechanisms yield protective effects across chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), diabetic neuropathy, traumatic nerve injury, phantom limb pain, retinal ganglion cell excitotoxicity, and organophosphate-induced neuromuscular toxicity. Clinical evidence includes improved multimodal neuropathy outcomes in diabetic neuropathy when combined with gabapentin, reduced phantom limb pain prevalence and intensity at six months, and a five-fold reduction in post-mastectomy neuropathic pain with pre-emptive administration. Conclusions: Memantine should be conceptually reframed as a system-wide neuroprotective agent with substantial translational potential beyond the CNS. Priorities for future development include NR2B-selective peripheral NMDA antagonists, peripherally restricted formulations, single-cell transcriptomic mapping of peripheral NMDA receptor subtypes, and adequately powered PNS-specific randomized trials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicines13030025","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T11:37:34Z","timestamp":1787312254000},"page":"25","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Beyond the Central Nervous System: Uncovering Memantine\u2019s Modulatory Role in the Peripheral Nervous System"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6138-0970","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kyriaki","family":"Papadopoulou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1703-6980","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sophia","family":"Tsokkou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1632-821X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis","family":"Konstantinidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pavlos","family":"Pavlidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolarhingology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6410-2992","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chrysanthi","family":"Sardeli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3615-9745","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Kouvelas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7929-9110","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Soultana","family":"Meditskou-Efthymiadou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonia","family":"Sioga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0709-5407","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Theodora","family":"Papamitsou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"803","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn2229","article-title":"Pathologically activated therapeutics for neuroprotection","volume":"8","author":"Lipton","year":"2007","journal-title":"Nat. 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