Anti-Amyloidogenic and Anti-Apoptotic Role of Melatonin in Alzheimer Disease

Title: Anti-Amyloidogenic and Anti-Apoptotic Role of Melatonin in Alzheimer Disease

Volume: 8 Issue: 3

Author(s): Hongwen He, Weiguo Dong and Fang Huang

Affiliation:

Keywords: Alzheimer disease, neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, melatonin, amyloid beta-protein, amyloid precursor protein, apoptosis, mitochondria

Abstract: Alzheimer disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuronal loss. Amyloid-β protein (Aβ) deposition plays a critical role in the development of AD. It is now generally accepted that massive neuronal death due to apoptosis is a common characteristic in the brains of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, and apoptotic cell death has been found in neurons and glial cells in AD. Melatonin is a secretory product of the pineal gland; melatonin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger and may play an important role in aging and AD. Melatonin decreases during aging and patients with AD have a more profound reduction of this indoleamine. Additionally, the antioxidant properties, the anti-amyloidogenic properties and anti-apoptotic properties of melatonin in AD models have been studied. In this article, we review the antiamyloidogenic and anti-apoptotic role of melatonin in AD.

Cite this article as:

He Hongwen, Dong Weiguo and Huang Fang, Anti-Amyloidogenic and Anti-Apoptotic Role of Melatonin in Alzheimer Disease, Current Neuropharmacology 2010; 8 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157015910792246137