[The role of vitagene in aging and Alzheimer's disease and relevant advances of pharmacological study].
Free radical hypothesis of aging emphasized that the age-related accumulation of free radicals results in cell injury. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease characterized by impaired cognition and memory of the elderly. Aging is a key risk factor in AD. Substantial evidence suggests that imbalance between free radical formation and clearance promotes AD pathogenesis. The brain overcomes oxidative stress by inducing expression of a set of genes called vitagenes. The protein products of vitagenes include heat shock proteins, heme oxygenases and thioredoxin systems, which serve as endogenous lifeguard of cells. This paper is a review of the expression and function of vitagenes in aging and AD brain, as well as relevant pharmacological study.
Hou
Yan
Y
Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China. houyanster@gmail.com
Bao
Xiu-Qi
XQ
Liu
Geng-Tao
GT
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D013879:Thioredoxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D013879:Thioredoxins; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing)