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Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1568-0266
ISSN (Online): 1873-4294

Disrupting β-Amyloid Aggregation for Alzheimer Disease Treatment

Author(s): L. D. Estrada and C. Soto

Volume 7, Issue 1, 2007

Page: [115 - 126] Pages: 12

DOI: 10.2174/156802607779318262

Price: $65

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Abstract

Alzheimers disease is a devastating degenerative disorder for which there is no cure or effective treatment. Although the etiology of Alzheimers disease is not fully understood, compelling evidence indicates that deposition of aggregates composed by a misfolded form of the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is the central event in the disease pathogenesis. Therefore, an attractive therapeutic strategy is to prevent or reverse Aβ misfolding and aggregation. Diverse strategies have been described to identify inhibitors of this process, including screening of libraries of small molecules chemical compounds, rational design of synthetic peptides, assessment of natural Aβ-binding proteins and stimulation of the immune system by vaccination. In this article we describe these different approaches, their principles and their potential strengths and weaknesses. Overall the available data suggest that the development of drugs to interfere with Aβ misfolding and aggregation is a feasible target that hold great promise for the treatment of Alzheimers disease.

Keywords: Aggregation inhibitors, β-sheet breakers, amyloid, Alzheimer's disease


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