Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized as a neurodegenerative movement disorder presenting with rigidity, resting tremor, disturbances in balance and slowness in movement. An important pathologic feature of PD is the presence of Lewy bodies. The primary structural component of Lewy bodies are fibrils composed primarily of alpha-synuclein, a highly conserved 140 amino acid protein that is predominantly expressed in neurons and which may play a role in synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission. Numerous studies suggest the aggregation and modification of alpha-synuclein as a key step leading to Lewy body formation and neuronal cell loss associated with PD. Because of the central role of alpha-synuclein in PD, it represents a novel drug target for the possible treatment of this disease. In this review, an overview of the role of alpha-synuclein in PD will be discussed with an emphasis on recent studies utilizing an immunization approach against alpha-synuclein as a possible treatment option for this debilitating disease.
Keywords: Alpha-synuclein, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Lewy Bodies, Parkinson's Disease, Toxins, Virus, SNpc, Alpha synuclein Fibrils, Dementia, Alzheimers disease, Active Immunization
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets
Title:Targeting Alpha-Synuclein for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
Volume: 11 Issue: 2
Author(s): Troy T. Rohn
Affiliation:
Keywords: Alpha-synuclein, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Lewy Bodies, Parkinson's Disease, Toxins, Virus, SNpc, Alpha synuclein Fibrils, Dementia, Alzheimers disease, Active Immunization
Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized as a neurodegenerative movement disorder presenting with rigidity, resting tremor, disturbances in balance and slowness in movement. An important pathologic feature of PD is the presence of Lewy bodies. The primary structural component of Lewy bodies are fibrils composed primarily of alpha-synuclein, a highly conserved 140 amino acid protein that is predominantly expressed in neurons and which may play a role in synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission. Numerous studies suggest the aggregation and modification of alpha-synuclein as a key step leading to Lewy body formation and neuronal cell loss associated with PD. Because of the central role of alpha-synuclein in PD, it represents a novel drug target for the possible treatment of this disease. In this review, an overview of the role of alpha-synuclein in PD will be discussed with an emphasis on recent studies utilizing an immunization approach against alpha-synuclein as a possible treatment option for this debilitating disease.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Troy T. Rohn , Targeting Alpha-Synuclein for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets 2012; 11 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152712800269678
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152712800269678 |
Print ISSN 1871-5273 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1996-3181 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system infectious diseases
Infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) can be divided into bacterial, tuberculous, viral, fungal, parasitic infections, etc. Early etiological treatment is often the most crucial means to reduce the mortality rate of patients with central nervous system infections, reduce complications and sequelae, and improve prognosis. The initial clinical ...read more
Techniques of Drug Repurposing: Delivering a new life to Herbs & Drugs
Of late, with the adaptation of innovative approaches and integration of advancements made towards medical sciences as well as the availability of a wide range of tools; several therapeutic challenges are being translated into viable clinical solutions, with a high degree of efficacy, safety, and selectivity. With a better understanding ...read more
Trends and perspectives in the rational management of CNS disorders
Central nervous system (CNS) diseases enforce a significant global health burden, driving ongoing efforts to improve our understanding and effectiveness of therapy. This issue investigates current advances in the discipline, focusing on the understanding as well as therapeutic handling of various CNS diseases. The issue covers a variety of diseases, ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Design and Evaluation of a Modulated TENS Stimulation in Medical Pain Therapy
Current Signal Transduction Therapy Meet Our Editorial Board Member
Current Molecular Imaging (Discontinued) Associations between Alzheimer’s Disease and Blood Homocysteine, Vitamin B<sub>12</sub>, and Folate: A Case-Control Study
Current Alzheimer Research Chronic Inflammation and Cancer: The Role of Endothelial Dysfunction and Vascular Inflammation
Current Pharmaceutical Design Increasing Progenitor Cell Proliferation in the Sub-Ventricular Zone: A Therapeutic Treatment for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis?
Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation Coarse Classification to Region-Scalable Refining for White Matter Lesions Segmentation in Multi-Channel MRI
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Rituximab Therapy and Autoimmune Disease
Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) The Impact of Addiction on Family Members Mental Health Status
Current Drug Research Reviews Relevance of Aβ 1-42 Intrahippocampal Injection as An Animal Model of Inflamed Alzheimers Disease Brain
Current Alzheimer Research Immunotherapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Basic Insights for New Clinical Strategies
Current Neurovascular Research Towards Practical Cognitive Assessment for Detection of Early Dementia: A 30-Minute Computerized Battery Discriminates as Well as Longer Testing
Current Alzheimer Research Infrared-Spectroscopy: A Non-Invasive Tool for Medical Diagnostics and Drug Analysis
Current Medicinal Chemistry Therapeutic Potential of Drug Delivery by Means of Lipid Nanoparticles: Reality or İllusion?
Current Pharmaceutical Design Meet Our Editorial Board Member
Current Aging Science Aripiprazole, A Drug that Displays Partial Agonism and Functional Selectivity
Current Neuropharmacology Local Cerebral Blood Flow is Preserved in Sepsis
Current Neurovascular Research Prenatal Care for Women with Schizophrenia
Current Women`s Health Reviews Overcoming the Drug Resistance Problem with Second-Generation Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: From Enzymology to Structural Models
Current Medicinal Chemistry Perspectives in Medicinal Chemistry: Focusing on the Link between Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease and Cancer for the Discovery of New Medicines
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Coumarin Derivatives as Adjuvants: From In Silico Physicochemical Characterization to In Vitro Evaluation against Gram Positive Bacteria
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening