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Therapeutic Agents for Neurodegenerative Disorders
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Therapeutic Agents for Neurodegenerative Disorders

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 5806

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrea Kwakowsky

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Brain Research, Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
Interests: neurotrasmitters; estrogens; neurotrophins; neurodegenerative disorders; drug discovery and development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Margaret Ryan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
Interests: Dr. Ryan's interest is in how memories are formed and stored in the brain at the molecular level and how this may be altered in Alzheimer's disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Molecules provides a forum for the dissemination of the most recent findings on therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pose extraordinary challenges for drug development. There is a great need for therapies to prevent and/or slow the progression of these disorders. The etiology of most neurodegenerative diseases is still unknown, but several factors are thought to contribute to the neurodegenerative process, such as oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, protein aggregation, vascular dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. These processes culminate in the death of specific neuronal populations, leading to cognitive and/or motor impairments, and they offer many potential therapeutic targets. Most current treatments for these disorders target single aspects of disease pathology. However, this strategy has yet to fulfil expectations in clinical trials, and focus has now turned towards therapeutics which target multiple aspects underlying neurodegeneration to ensure future treatment success. A number of these therapeutic targets also serve multiple roles as biomarkers and as theranostics. Drug designs have also shifted from treating neurodegenerative diseases at later stages of disease progression to focusing on preventive strategies at early stages of disease development.

We welcome the submission of research and review articles on the advances in every aspect of drug discovery in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Andrea Kwakowsky
Dr. Margaret Ryan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • beta amyloid
  • tau
  • alpha-synuclein
  • huntingtin
  • autophagy
  • neuromodulators
  • neurotrophins
  • natural compounds
  • neuroinflammation
  • vascular dysfunction
  • neuronal death
  • drug development
  • therapeutic biomarkers
  • blood–brain barrier
  • small-molecule therapeutics
  • theranostics

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3107 KiB  
Article
4-Oxatricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]dec-8-ene-3,5-dione Derivatives as NMDA Receptor- and VGCC Blockers with Neuroprotective Potential
by Ayodeji O. Egunlusi, Sarel F. Malan, Sylvester I. Omoruyi, Okobi E. Ekpo and Jacques Joubert
Molecules 2020, 25(19), 4552; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25194552 - 5 Oct 2020
Viewed by 2616
Abstract
The impact of excitotoxicity mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor overactivation and voltage gated calcium channel (VGCC) depolarization is prominent among the postulated processes involved in the development of neurodegenerative disorders. NGP1-01, a polycyclic amine, has been shown to be neuroprotective through modulation [...] Read more.
The impact of excitotoxicity mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor overactivation and voltage gated calcium channel (VGCC) depolarization is prominent among the postulated processes involved in the development of neurodegenerative disorders. NGP1-01, a polycyclic amine, has been shown to be neuroprotective through modulation of the NMDA receptor and VGCC, and attenuation of MPP+-induced neurotoxicity. Recently, we reported on the calcium modulating effects of tricycloundecene derivatives, structurally similar to NGP1-01, on the NMDA receptor and VGCC of synaptoneurosomes. In the present study, we investigated novel 4-oxatricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]dec-8-ene-3,5-dione derivatives for their cytotoxicity, neuroprotective effects via attenuation of MPP+-induced neurotoxicity and calcium influx inhibition abilities through the NMDA receptor and VGCC using neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. All compounds, in general, showed low or no toxicity against neuroblastoma cells at 10–50 µM concentrations. At 10 µM, all compounds significantly attenuated MPP+-induced neurotoxicity as evident by the enhancement in cell viability between 23.05 ± 3.45% to 53.56 ± 9.29%. In comparison to known active compounds, the derivatives demonstrated mono or dual calcium modulating effect on the NMDA receptor and/or VGCC. Molecular docking studies using the NMDA receptor protein structure indicated that the compounds are able to bind in a comparable manner to the crystallographic pose of MK-801 inside the NMDA ion channel. The biological characteristics, together with results from in silico studies, suggest that these compounds could act as neuroprotective agents for the purpose of halting or slowing down the degenerative processes in neuronal cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Agents for Neurodegenerative Disorders)
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Review

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24 pages, 706 KiB  
Review
Cation-Chloride Cotransporters KCC2 and NKCC1 as Therapeutic Targets in Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
by Patricia Lam, Julia Newland, Richard L. M. Faull and Andrea Kwakowsky
Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031344 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2691
Abstract
Neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Down syndrome and epilepsy, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, are conditions that affect not only individuals but societies on a global scale. Current therapies offer a means for small symptomatic relief, but recently there [...] Read more.
Neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Down syndrome and epilepsy, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, are conditions that affect not only individuals but societies on a global scale. Current therapies offer a means for small symptomatic relief, but recently there has been increasing demand for therapeutic alternatives. The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic signaling system has been investigated for developing new therapies as it has been noted that any dysfunction or changes to this system can contribute to disease progression. Expression of the K-Cl-2 (KCC2) and N-K-C1-1 (NKCC1) cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) has recently been linked to the disruption of GABAergic activity by affecting the polarity of GABAA receptor signaling. KCC2 and NKCC1 play a part in multiple neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, making them a target of interest for potential therapies. This review explores current research suggesting the pathophysiological role and therapeutic importance of KCC2 and NKCC1 in neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Agents for Neurodegenerative Disorders)
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