Mechanistic and Etiological Similarities in Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer's Disease: Antidiabetic Drugs as Optimistic Therapeutics in Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease are two common diseases that majorly affect the elderly population. Patients in both cases are increasing day by day. They are considered two independent diseases, but recent evidence suggests that they have a lot in common.

Objective: In this review, we focused on the connection between Alzheimer's disease and diabetes and highlighted the importance of antidiabetic drugs against Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: Common pathways such as obesity, vascular diseases, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, mutation of the ApoE4 gene, and Sirtuin gene were found to manipulate both diseases. Antidiabetic drugs are found to have promising effects on Alzheimer's disease, acting by reducing insulin resistance, neuronal protection, and reducing amyloid-beta plaques. Some anti-diabetic drugs have shown promising results in vivo and in vitro studies.

Results: No review present focuses on the structural features of the antidiabetic molecules against Alzheimer's disease, their crosslinking pathophysiology, the role of natural bioactive molecules, in silico advancements followed by preclinical and clinical studies, and current advancements. Hence, we concentrated on the factors mentioned in the objectives.

Conclusion: Alzheimer's disease can be considered a form of 'type-3 diabetes,' and repurposing the anti-diabetic drug will open up new paths of research in the field of Alzheimer's disease drug discovery.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; ApoE4; antidiabetic; diabetes; oxidative stress; pathophysiology.