Most cited article - PubMed ID 24900954
Mitochondrial dysfunctions in neurodegenerative diseases: relevance to Alzheimer's disease
Biomarkers are the most significant diagnosis tools tending towards unique approaches and solutions for the prevention and cure of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The current report provides a clear perception of the concept of various biomarkers and their prominent features through analysis to provide a possible solution for the inhibition of events in AD. Scientists around the world truly believe that crucial hallmarks can serve as critical tools in the early diagnosis, cure, and prevention, as well as the future of medicine. The awareness and understanding of such biomarkers would provide solutions to the puzzled mechanism of this neuronal disorder. Some of the argued biomarkers in the present article are still in an experimental phase as they need to undergo specific clinical trials before they can be considered for treatment.
- Keywords
- Alzheimer’s disease, biomarkers, diagnosis., neurodegenerative diseases, tau protein, β-amyloid peptide,
- MeSH
- Alzheimer Disease * drug therapy diagnosis metabolism MeSH
- Amyloid beta-Peptides metabolism antagonists & inhibitors MeSH
- Biomarkers * analysis metabolism MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- tau Proteins metabolism antagonists & inhibitors MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Amyloid beta-Peptides MeSH
- Biomarkers * MeSH
- tau Proteins MeSH
The progress in understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is based on the recognition of the primary causes of the disease, which can be deduced from the knowledge of risk factors and biomarkers measurable in the early stages of the disease. Insights into the risk factors and the time course of biomarker abnormalities point to a role for the connection of amyloid beta (Aβ) pathology, tau pathology, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress in the onset and development of AD. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a lipid antioxidant and electron transporter in the mitochondrial electron transport system. The availability and activity of CoQ10 is crucial for proper mitochondrial function and cellular bioenergetics. Based on the mitochondrial hypothesis of AD and the hypothesis of oxidative stress, the regulation of the efficiency of the oxidative phosphorylation system by means of CoQ10 can be considered promising in restoring the mitochondrial function impaired in AD, or in preventing the onset of mitochondrial dysfunction and the development of amyloid and tau pathology in AD. This review summarizes the knowledge on the pathophysiology of AD, in which CoQ10 may play a significant role, with the aim of evaluating the perspective of the pharmacotherapy of AD with CoQ10 and its analogues.
- Keywords
- Alzheimer’s disease, coenzyme Q10, drug, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress,
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important cellular hallmark of aging and neurodegeneration. Platelets are a useful model to study the systemic manifestations of mitochondrial dysfunction. To evaluate the age dependence of mitochondrial parameters, citrate synthase activity, respiratory chain complex activity, and oxygen consumption kinetics were assessed. The effect of cognitive impairment was examined by comparing the age dependence of mitochondrial parameters in healthy individuals and those with neuropsychiatric disease. The study found a significant negative slope of age-dependence for both the activity of individual mitochondrial enzymes (citrate synthase and complex II) and parameters of mitochondrial respiration in intact platelets (routine respiration, maximum capacity of electron transport system, and respiratory rate after complex I inhibition). However, there was no significant difference in the age-related changes of mitochondrial parameters between individuals with and without cognitive impairment. These findings highlight the potential of measuring mitochondrial respiration in intact platelets as a means to assess age-related mitochondrial dysfunction. The results indicate that drugs and interventions targeting mitochondrial respiration may have the potential to slow down or eliminate certain aging and neurodegenerative processes. Mitochondrial respiration in platelets holds promise as a biomarker of aging, irrespective of the degree of cognitive impairment.
- Keywords
- aging, cognitive decline, mitochondria, mitochondrial respiration, neurodegenerative disease, neuroinflammation, neuroplasticity, oxidative stress, platelet, respiratory chain complex,
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Damage or loss of brain cells and impaired neurochemistry, neurogenesis, and synaptic and nonsynaptic plasticity of the brain lead to dementia in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Injury to synapses and neurons and accumulation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles are considered the main morphological and neuropathological features of AD. Age, genetic and epigenetic factors, environmental stressors, and lifestyle contribute to the risk of AD onset and progression. These risk factors are associated with structural and functional changes in the brain, leading to cognitive decline. Biomarkers of AD reflect or cause specific changes in brain function, especially changes in pathways associated with neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, bioenergetics, apoptosis, and oxidative and nitrosative stress. Even in the initial stages, AD is associated with Aβ neurotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and tau neurotoxicity. The integrative amyloid-tau-mitochondrial hypothesis assumes that the primary cause of AD is the neurotoxicity of Aβ oligomers and tau oligomers, mitochondrial dysfunction, and their mutual synergy. For the development of new efficient AD drugs, targeting the elimination of neurotoxicity, mutual potentiation of effects, and unwanted protein interactions of risk factors and biomarkers (mainly Aβ oligomers, tau oligomers, and mitochondrial dysfunction) in the early stage of the disease seems promising.
- Keywords
- Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid beta, drug, mitochondria, tau protein,
- MeSH
- Alzheimer Disease * metabolism MeSH
- Amyloid metabolism MeSH
- Amyloid beta-Peptides metabolism MeSH
- Amyloidogenic Proteins metabolism MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Mitochondria metabolism MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Review MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Amyloid MeSH
- Amyloid beta-Peptides MeSH
- Amyloidogenic Proteins MeSH
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia among older adults. There are no effective treatments available for the disease, and it is associated with great societal concern because of the substantial costs of providing care to its sufferers, whose numbers will increase as populations age. While multiple causes have been proposed to be significant contributors to the onset of sporadic AD, increased age is a unifying risk factor. In addition to amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau protein playing a key role in the initiation and progression of AD, impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics and dynamics are likely major etiological factors in AD pathogenesis and have many potential origins, including Aβ and tau. Mitochondrial dysfunction is evident in the central nervous system (CNS) and systemically early in the disease process. Addressing these multiple mitochondrial deficiencies is a major challenge of mitochondrial systems biology. We review evidence for mitochondrial impairments ranging from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations to epigenetic modification of mtDNA, altered gene expression, impaired mitobiogenesis, oxidative stress, altered protein turnover and changed organelle dynamics (fission and fusion). We also discuss therapeutic approaches, including repurposed drugs, epigenetic modifiers, and lifestyle changes that target each level of deficiency which could potentially alter the course of this progressive, heterogeneous Disease while being cognizant that successful future therapeutics may require a combinatorial approach.
- Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease, bioenergetics, epigenetic modifiers, lifestyle changes, mitochondria, mtDNA, repurposed drugs., β-amyloid,
- MeSH
- Alzheimer Disease * metabolism MeSH
- Amyloid beta-Peptides metabolism MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- DNA, Mitochondrial metabolism MeSH
- Mitochondria metabolism MeSH
- Neurodegenerative Diseases * metabolism MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Review MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Amyloid beta-Peptides MeSH
- DNA, Mitochondrial MeSH