scholarly journals Astrocytic transporters in Alzheimer's disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Ugbode ◽  
Yuhan Hu ◽  
Benjamin Whalley ◽  
Chris Peers ◽  
Marcus Rattray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Specific Targeting ◽  
Disease Modifying Therapies ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
And Function

Astrocytes play a fundamental role in maintaining the health and function of the central nervous system. Increasing evidence indicates that astrocytes undergo both cellular and molecular changes at an early stage in neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). These changes may reflect a change from a neuroprotective to a neurotoxic phenotype. Given the lack of current disease-modifying therapies for AD, astrocytes have become an interesting and viable target for therapeutic intervention. The astrocyte transport system covers a diverse array of proteins involved in metabolic support, neurotransmission and synaptic architecture. Therefore, specific targeting of individual transporter families has the potential to suppress neurodegeneration, a characteristic hallmark of AD. A small number of the 400 transporter superfamilies are expressed in astrocytes, with evidence highlighting a fraction of these are implicated in AD. Here, we review the current evidence for six astrocytic transporter subfamilies involved in AD, as reported in both animal and human studies. This review confirms that astrocytes are indeed a viable target, highlights the complexities of studying astrocytes and provides future directives to exploit the potential of astrocytes in tackling AD.

Alzheimer’s Disease Targeted Nano-Based Drug Delivery Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 628-646
Author(s):  
Gülcem Altinoglu ◽  
Terin Adali
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Sustained Drug Release ◽  
Physiochemical Properties ◽  
Conventional Drug ◽  
Health Care Burden ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Effective Drugs

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and is part of a massive and growing health care burden that is destroying the cognitive function of more than 50 million individuals worldwide. Today, therapeutic options are limited to approaches with mild symptomatic benefits. The failure in developing effective drugs is attributed to, but not limited to the highly heterogeneous nature of AD with multiple underlying hypotheses and multifactorial pathology. In addition, targeted drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS), for the diagnosis and therapy of neurological diseases like AD, is restricted by the challenges posed by blood-brain interfaces surrounding the CNS, limiting the bioavailability of therapeutics. Research done over the last decade has focused on developing new strategies to overcome these limitations and successfully deliver drugs to the CNS. Nanoparticles, that are capable of encapsulating drugs with sustained drug release profiles and adjustable physiochemical properties, can cross the protective barriers surrounding the CNS. Thus, nanotechnology offers new hope for AD treatment as a strong alternative to conventional drug delivery mechanisms. In this review, the potential application of nanoparticle based approaches in Alzheimer’s disease and their implications in therapy is discussed.

scholarly journals The Role of the Innate Immune System in Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration: An Eye on Microglia

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Ridolfi ◽  
Cinzia Barone ◽  
Elio Scarpini ◽  
Daniela Galimberti
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Immune Effector ◽  
Effector Cells ◽  
The Central Nervous System

In the last few years, genetic and biomolecular mechanisms at the basis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) have been unraveled. A key role is played by microglia, which represent the immune effector cells in the central nervous system (CNS). They are extremely sensitive to the environmental changes in the brain and are activated in response to several pathologic events within the CNS, including altered neuronal function, infection, injury, and inflammation. While short-term microglial activity has generally a neuroprotective role, chronic activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, including AD and FTLD. In this framework, the purpose of this review is to give an overview of clinical features, genetics, and novel discoveries on biomolecular pathogenic mechanisms at the basis of these two neurodegenerative diseases and to outline current evidence regarding the role played by activated microglia in their pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Fleshing out the amyloid cascade hypothesis: the molecular biology of Alzheimer's disease

2000 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Amyloid Protein ◽  
Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis ◽  
Protein Tau ◽  
Disease Modifying Therapies ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
Amyloid Cascade

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disorder of two pathologies- plaques and tangles. The former have as a key constituent amyloid protein and the latter the microtubule-associaied protein tau. Genetics has demonstrated that changes in either protein are sufficient to cause dementia. The amyloid cascade hypothesis proposes that plaque-related changes precede tangle-related changes and positions amyloid as central to the degeneration of AD. All the evidence suggests this is correct, including evidence that presenil ins alter the processing of the amyloid precursor protein and evidence that disrupting the normal properties of tau underlies the related froniotemporal dementias. The amyloid cascade hypothesis has provided the basis for nearly a decade of intensive basic science - the skeleton of that hypothesis can now be fleshed out, and confidence is growing that this will result in useful disease-modifying therapies in the future.

scholarly journals Microglia-Based Sex-Biased Neuropathology in Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease Model Mice and the Potential Pharmacologic Efficacy of Dioscin

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3261
Author(s):  
Xiao Liu ◽  
Qian Zhou ◽  
Jia-He Zhang ◽  
Xiaoying Wang ◽  
Xiumei Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Brain Lesions ◽  
Synaptic Dysfunction ◽  
Synaptic Loss ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, microglia-associated neuroinflammation, and synaptic loss. The detailed neuropathologic characteristics in early-stage AD, however, are largely unclear. We evaluated the pathologic brain alterations in young adult App knock-in model AppNL-G-F mice at 3 and 6 months of age, which corresponds to early-stage AD. At 3 months of age, microglia expression in the cortex and hippocampus was significantly decreased. By the age of 6 months, the number and function of the microglia increased, accompanied by progressive amyloid-β deposition, synaptic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and dysregulation of β-catenin and NF-κB signaling pathways. The neuropathologic changes were more severe in female mice than in male mice. Oral administration of dioscin, a natural product, ameliorated the neuropathologic alterations in young AppNL-G-F mice. Our findings revealed microglia-based sex-differential neuropathologic changes in a mouse model of early-stage AD and therapeutic efficacy of dioscin on the brain lesions. Dioscin may represent a potential treatment for AD.

Does protein aggregation drive postmitotic tissue degeneration?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (577) ◽  
pp. eaax0914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffery W. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Protein Aggregate ◽  
Tissue Degeneration ◽  
Disease Modifying Therapies ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
Amyloid Diseases ◽  
Aggregate Structures

Pharmacological evidence, from clinical trials where patients with systemic amyloid diseases are treated with disease-modifying therapies, supports the notion that protein aggregation drives tissue degeneration in these disorders. The protein aggregate structures driving tissue pathology and the commonalities in etiology between these diseases and Alzheimer’s disease are under investigation.

REPORT FROM THE FIRST CLINICAL TRIALS ON ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (CTAD) ASIA-CHINA 2018 : BRINGING TOGETHER GLOBAL LEADERS

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
J.K. Chhetri ◽  
P. Chan ◽  
B. Vellas ◽  
J. Touchon ◽  
S. Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Chinese Population ◽  
The West ◽  
Disease Modifying Therapies ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
Past Experiences

Population of older adults in Asia, and particularly in China is increasing rapidly. Older population are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias. Soon, the Chinese population with AD will represent almost half of the world’s AD population. There is a desperate need of disease modifying therapies to delay or slow the progression of AD, to tackle this emerging healthcare emergency. In this context, the first CTAD Asia-China conference was held in China to bring together Western and Asian leaders in AD. This meeting focused largely on how to develop successful trials in China, utilizing past experiences from the West.

scholarly journals BIOMARKER AND CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN SUPPORT FOR DISEASE-MODIFYING THERAPIES: REPORT OF A SURVEY OF THE EU/US: ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE TASK FORCE

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
J. Cummings ◽  
N. Fox ◽  
B. Vellas ◽  
P. Aisen ◽  
G. Shan
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Trial Design ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Clinical Trial Design ◽  
Disease Modification ◽  
Disease Modifying Therapies ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
The Eu

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies are urgently needed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The European Union/United States (EU/US) Task Force represents a broad range of stakeholders including biopharma industry personnel, academicians, and regulatory authorities. OBJECTIVES: The EU/US Task Force represents a community of knowledgeable individuals who can inform views of evidence supporting disease modification and the development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). We queried their attitudes toward clinical trial design and biomarkers in support of DMTs. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIANTS: A survey of members of the EU/US Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force was conducted. Ninety-three members (87%) responded. The details were analyzed to understand what clinical trial design and biomarker data support disease modification. MEASUREMENTS/RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Task Force members favored the parallel group design compared to delayed start or staggered withdrawal clinical trial designs to support disease modification. Amyloid biomarkers were regarded as providing mild support for disease modification while tau biomarkers were regarded as providing moderate support. Combinations of biomarkers, particularly combinations of tau and neurodegeneration, were regarded as providing moderate to marked support for disease modification and combinations of all three classes of biomarkers were regarded by a majority as providing marked support for disease modification. Task Force members considered that evidence derived from clinical trials and biomarkers supports clinical meaningfulness of an intervention, and when combined with a single clinical trial outcome, nearly all regarded the clinical trial design or biomarker evidence as supportive of disease modification. A minority considered biomarker evidence by itself as indicative of disease modification in prevention trials. Levels of evidence (A,B,C) were constructed based on these observations. CONCLUSION: The survey indicates the view of knowledgeable stakeholders regarding evidence derived from clinical trial design and biomarkers in support of disease modification. Results of this survey can assist in designing clinical trials of DMTs.

Challenges in demonstrating the value of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 563-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Gustavsson ◽  
Peter Pemberton-Ross ◽  
Melissa Gomez Montero ◽  
Mahmoud Hashim ◽  
Robin Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Disease Modifying Therapies ◽  
Disease Modifying
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