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Review
. 2022 Jan;35(1):65-78.
doi: 10.1002/ca.23792. Epub 2021 Oct 7.

Apoptosis and its therapeutic implications in neurodegenerative diseases

Nour S Erekat  1
Affiliations
Review

Apoptosis and its therapeutic implications in neurodegenerative diseases

Nour S Erekat. Clin Anat. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by progressive loss of particular populations of neurons. Apoptosis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, Huntington disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we focus on the existing notions relevant to comprehending the apoptotic death process, including the morphological features, mediators and regulators of cellular apoptosis. We also highlight the evidence of neuronal apoptotic death in Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, Huntington disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additionally, we present evidence of potential therapeutic agents that could modify the apoptotic pathway in the aforementioned neurodegenerative diseases and delay disease progression. Finally, we review the clinical trials that were conducted to evaluate the use of anti-apoptotic drugs in the treatment of the aforementioned neurodegenerative diseases, in order to highlight the essential need for early detection and intervention of neurodegenerative diseases in humans.

Keywords: Alzheimer disease; BAX; Bcl-2; Coenzyme Q10; Huntington disease; Parkinson disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; antioxidant; apoptosis; caspases; clinical trials; minocycline; neurodegenerative diseases.

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References

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