Title:Pharmacotherapy of Down’s Syndrome: When and Which?
Volume: 18
Issue: 10
Author(s): Seyed K. Tayebati*, Alessandro Cecchi, Ilenia Martinelli, Elisa Carboni and Francesco Amenta
Affiliation:
- School of Medicinal Sciences and Health Products, University of Camerino, Camerino,Italy
Keywords:
Down’s syndrome, associated disorders, animal models, prenatal and postnatal therapies, pharmacotherapy,
DS-induced disorders.
Abstract: Down Syndrome (DS) is an essential genetic disease that involves many other body systems
along with cerebral functions. The postnatal approach to treat this genetic disease includes intervention
on various related disorders (e.g., heart failure, respiratory, oral, ear, and hearing disorders). However,
different proposed treatments do not significantly improve the quality of life of these subjects. Another
approach to the treatment of DS considering the possibility to intervene on the embryo was recently
introduced. As of this, the current study has reviewed different outcomes regarding DS treatment in an
animal model, namely the Ts65Dn mouse. The obtained results encouraged spending more time, efforts,
and resources in this field. Besides, various treatment strategies were tried to include genetic
modification, treatment with vasoactive intestinal peptide derivatives or fluoxetine. However, the main
obstacle to the use of these possible treatments is the ethical issues it raises. The progression of the
pregnancy in spite of awareness that DS affects the unborn and prenatal treatment of DS injured embryo
are relevant dilemmas. Thus, talented researchers should spend more efforts to improve the quality
of life for people affected by DS, which will allow probably a better approach to the ethical issues.