title: Amyloid inhibitors and Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Neuritic plaques composed of amyloid beta-protein (A beta) are an early and invariant neuropathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current preclinical search for drugs is mainly focused on decreasing A beta production by inhibiting beta- or gamma-secretase, blocking the formation of these plaques by preventing A beta protofibril and fibril formation, and alleviating the toxic effects of neuritic plaque deposition. Increasing numbers of drugs currently used as therapies for other diseases are now entering clinical trials for AD, but the molecular targets of these drugs and their relevance to A beta toxicity needs to be thoroughly addressed. This knowledge will allow us to fully understand the A beta-related pathways in AD pathogenesis and explore novel therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 77 Ave Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA. wxia@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Weiming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D023582:Alzheimer Vaccines; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D023582:Alzheimer Vaccines; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C509280:BACE1 protein, human