Antioxidant strategies for neurodegenerative diseases

作者：Contestabile A^*

来源：Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2001, 11(4): 573-585.

DOI：10.1517/13543776.11.4.573

• antioxidants
• biotechnology
• enzyme inhibitors
• pharmaceutical compositions
• ROS scavengers

A very large body of evidence supports the involvement of oxidative stress in neurodegenerative pathologies. Therefore, therapies based on administration of antioxidant and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging substances have been widely proposed for treatment of both acute and chronic neuropathological diseases. In the present review, several recent patents (mostly from 1998 - 2000) based on the proposed use of antioxidant strategies to treat neurodegenerative diseases are considered. In particular, the following classes of patents are examined: patents for novel antioxidant and ROS scavengers, pharmaceutical compositions in which antioxidant and ROS scavengers are claimed together with other pharmacological tools, patents based on new biotechnological and gene therapy approaches, and patents based on enzymatic manipulation of ROS production and elimination. In the comment, the most promising perspectives stemming from these patents are discussed; in particular: (i.) the usefulness of pharmaceutical compositions able to counteract the deleterious effects of excessive amounts of free radicals originating from different cellular process, without blocking the physiological beneficial action of their controlled production; (ii.) the potential beneficial effects of combining antioxidant treatments with modulation of the activity of receptors for excitatory amino acid and modulation of calcium levels: (iii.) the tremendous future impact of biotechnological and gene therapy techniques.

• 出版日期2001-4