Apoptotic cascades as possible targets for inhibiting cell death in Huntington's disease.
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating autosomal dominant disorder characterized by progressive motor and neuropsychological symptoms. Evidence implicating the apoptotic cascades as a possible cause for the neurodegeneration seen in HD has directed researchers toward investigating therapeutic treatments targeting caspases and other proapoptotic factors. Cellular and murine models, which have demonstrated that caspase-mediated cleavage could be the cause for the neurodegeneration seen in HD, have evoked more research investigating the possible inhibition of apoptosis in HD. In particular, minocycline, a tetracycline-derived antibiotic that has been shown to increase survival in transgenic mouse models of HD, exhibits a neuroprotective feature in HD and demonstrates an anti-inflammatory as well as an anti-microbial effect by inhibiting microglial activation known to cause apoptosis.
Pattison
Lindsay R
LR
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The College of Wooster, 1189 Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
Kotter
Mark R
MR
Fraga
Dean
D
Bonelli
Raphael M
RM
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008911:Minocycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008954:Models, Biological; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D008911:Minocycline