title: Mitochondrial drug targets in neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Growing evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction is the main culprit in neurodegenerative diseases. Given the fact that mitochondria participate in diverse cellular processes, including energetics, metabolism, and death, the consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction in neuronal cells are inevitable. In fact, new strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction are emerging as potential alternatives to current treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we focus on mitochondrial proteins that are directly associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. We also examine recently identified small molecule modulators of these mitochondrial targets and assess their potential in research and therapeutic applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Medical Science, Sungshin University, Seoul 142-732, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jlee@sungshin.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jiyoun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000083162:Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; D000083162:Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries
keywords: Chaperones; Kinases; Mitochondria; Mitochondria permeability transition pore (mPTP); Mitochondrial dysfunction; Neurodegenerative diseases; Proteases