Generic placeholder image

Current Pharmaceutical Design

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1381-6128
ISSN (Online): 1873-4286

Matter of Life and Death: the Pharmacological Approaches Targeting Apoptosis in Brain Diseases

Author(s): Virve Cavallucci and Marcello D'Amelio

Volume 17, Issue 3, 2011

Page: [215 - 229] Pages: 15

DOI: 10.2174/138161211795049705

Price: $65

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases that include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntingtons disease, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, stroke, brain trauma and spinal cord injury, are associated with the inappropriate activation of a neuronal cell-suicide program called apoptosis. Given that central nervous system tissue has very limited regenerative capacity it is of extreme importance to limit the damage caused by neuronal death. During the past decade, considerable progress has been made in understanding the process of apoptosis and, significantly, a number of studies have shown that a variety of small molecules can activate or inhibit cell death by acting on crucial checkpoints of apoptosis. Here, we review evidence linking apoptosis to brain diseases and discuss how knowledge of the mechanisms of cell death has led to novel therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Neurodegenerative diseases, cell death, mitochondria, oxidative stress, anti-apoptotic therapies


Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy