AD - Treatments Flashcards
What is the current therapy for AD?
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
Why are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors used in AD?
Cholinergic neurons die off in AD so the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors stops AChEfrom breaking down AChE
Also found that AChE plays its own role in AD by interacting with amyloid beta and increasing its deposition
What are the side effects of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors?
Nausea, vomiting, anorexia, increased bowel movements
What is memantine?
An NMDAR antagonist which inhibits GLU signalling in the cortex and hippocampus
Which class of drugs may useful in decreasing amyloid beta plaques and why?
NSAIDs
Because they allosterically modulate gamma secretase to favour Ab40 > 42
Why is beta-secretase a better therapeutic target than gamma secretase?
It only cleaves one other thing so only cause minor changes which are fine
What is clioquinol?
An antibiotic and Cu/Zn chelator
Which is clioquinol useful in AD?
Chelates Cu/Zn so that it cant coat the Ab
Cu/Zn coating of Ab promotes aggregation
Which immunotherapy drugs clinical trials were halted due to inflammation of the brain and spinal cord?
AN-1792
What is the immunotherapy for AD currently being researched?
Aducanumab to reduce Ab plaques
How would aducanumab help in AD?
Recombinant expression of this in the brain selectively reacts and destroys Ab aggregates, oligomers and insoluble fibrils
What is the main flaw with using aducanumab to treat AD?
It cant differentiate between intra and extra-cellular Ab
