New trends in the design of drugs against Alzheimer's disease

Curr Med Chem. 2004 Jul;11(13):1757-78. doi: 10.2174/0929867043364946.

Abstract

First described by Alois Alzheimer in 1907, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia type, affecting approximately 20 million people worldwide. As the population is getting older, AD is a growing health problem. AD is currently treated by symptomatic drugs, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, based on the cholinergic hypothesis (1976). During the past decade, advances in neurobiology have conducted to the identification of new targets. Although some of these innovative approaches tend to delay onset of AD, others are still symptomatic. In this review, we present an overview of the several strategies and new classes of compounds against AD.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / drug therapy*
  • Alzheimer Disease / prevention & control
  • Amino Acids / pharmacology
  • Amino Acids / therapeutic use
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cholinergic Agents / pharmacology
  • Cholinergic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Drug Design
  • Drug Industry
  • Drug Therapy / trends
  • Humans
  • Oxidative Stress

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Cholinergic Agents