Pharmacological therapy in Parkinson's disease: focus on neuroprotection

CNS Neurosci Ther. 2011 Oct;17(5):345-67. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00150.x. Epub 2010 Apr 23.

Abstract

Although the number of available therapeutic approaches in Parkinson's disease (PD) is steadily increasing the search for effective neuroprotective agent is continuing. Such research is directed at influencing the key steps in the pathomechanism: the mitochondrial dysfunction, the oxidative stress, the neuroinflammatory processes and the final common apoptotic pathway. Earlier-developed symptomatic therapies were implicated to be neuroprotective, and promising novel disease modifying approaches were brought into the focus of interest. The current review presents a survey of our current knowledge relating to the pathomechanism of PD and discusses the putative neuroprotective therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiparkinson Agents / pharmacology
  • Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Neuroprotective Agents / pharmacology
  • Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects
  • Oxidative Stress / physiology
  • Parkinson Disease / metabolism
  • Parkinson Disease / pathology
  • Parkinson Disease / prevention & control*

Substances

  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • Neuroprotective Agents