Oxidative stress in Alzheimer disease: a possibility for prevention.

Abstract

Oxidative stress is at the forefront of Alzheimer disease (AD) research. While its implications in the characteristic neurodegeneration of AD are vast, the most important aspect is that it seems increasingly apparent that oxidative stress is in fact a primary progenitor of the disease, and not merely an epiphenomenon. Moreover, evidence indicates that a long "dormant period" of gradual oxidative damage accumulation precedes and actually leads to the seemingly sudden appearance of clinical and pathological AD symptoms, including amyloid-beta deposition, neurofibrillary tangle formation, metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive decline. These findings provide important insights into the development of potential treatment regimens and even allude to the possibility of a preventative cure. In this review, we elaborate on the dynamic role of oxidative stress in AD and present corresponding treatment strategies that are currently under investigation.

• Authors: David J Bonda, Xinglong Wang, George Perry, Akihiko Nunomura, Massimo Tabaton, Xiongwei Zhu, Mark A Smith
• Journal: Neuropharmacology (Neuropharmacology) 2010 Sep-Oct Vol. 59 Issue 4-5 Pg. 290-4 ISSN: 1873-7064 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20394761 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antioxidants
• Reactive Oxygen Species
• Ubiquinone

Topics

• Alzheimer Disease (metabolism, prevention & control)
• Animals
• Antioxidants (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Mitochondria (drug effects, metabolism)
• Oxidative Stress (drug effects, physiology)
• Reactive Oxygen Species (antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism)
• Ubiquinone (metabolism)