Repositioning and development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases: Focus on neuroinflammation

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology Vol. 919; p. 174800
• Main Authors: Arbo, Bruno Dutra, Schimith, Lucia Emanueli, Goulart dos Santos, Michele, Hort, Mariana Appel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.03.2022
• Subjects: Alzheimer; Antidiabetics; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Repositioning; Humans; Immunomodulators; Neurodegenerative Diseases - drug therapy; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Parkinson; Statins; Alzheimer; Immunomodulators; Parkinson; Statins; Antidiabetics; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• ISSN: 0014-2999; 1879-0712
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.174800

Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, are characterized by the progressive loss of neuronal cells, resulting in different clinical symptoms according to the affected brain region. Although there are drugs available for the treatment of these diseases, they present relatively low efficacy and are not capable of modifying the course of the disease or stopping its progression. In the field of drug development, drug repurposing could be an interesting strategy to search new therapeutic options against neurodegenerative diseases, since it involves lower costs and time for development. In this review, we discuss the search of new treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease through drug repurposing. A focus was given to drugs that modulate neuroinflammation, since it represents a common point among neurodegenerative diseases and has been explored as a target for drug action.