Challenges of repurposing tetracyclines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Iva Markulin
• Author: Marija Matašin
• Author: Viktorija Erdeljić Turk
• Author: Melita Šalković-Petrišić
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Pharmacology)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Basic Medical Sciences; Pharmacology

Abstract (english)

The novel antibiotic-exploiting strategy in the treatment of Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) disease has emerged as a potential breakthrough in the field. The research in animal AD/PD models provided evidence on the antiamyloidogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiapoptotic activity of tetracyclines, associated with cognitive improvement. The neuroprotective effects of minocycline and doxycycline in animals initiated investigation of their clinical efficacy in AD and PD patients which led to inconclusive results and additionally to insufficient safety data on a long-standing doxycycline and minocycline therapy in these patient populations. The safety issues should be considered in two levels; in AD/PD patients (particularly antibiotic-induced alteration of gut microbiota and its consequences), and as a world-wide threat of development of bacterial resistance to these antibiotics posed by a fact that AD and PD are widespread incurable diseases which require daily administered long-lasting antibiotic therapy. Recently proposed subantimicrobial doxycycline doses should be thoroughly explored for their effectiveness and long-term safety especially in AD/PD populations. Keeping in mind the antibacterial activity-related far-reaching undesirable effects both for the patients and globally, further work on repurposing these drugs for a long-standing therapy of AD/PD should consider the chemically modified tetracycline compounds tailored to lack antimicrobial but retain (or introduce) other activities effective against the AD/PD pathology. This strategy might reduce the risk of long-term therapy-related adverse effects (particularly gut-related ones) and development of bacterial resistance toward the tetracycline antibiotic agents but the therapeutic potential and desirable safety profile of such compounds in AD/PD patients need to be confirmed.

• Keywords (english): Alzheimer Disease / drug therapy; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use; Doxycycline / pharmacology; Doxycycline / therapeutic use; Drug Repositioning; Humans; Minocycline / pharmacology; Parkinson Disease / drug therapy; Tetracycline / therapeutic use
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Accepted version
• Journal title: Journal of Neural Transmission
• Numbering: vol. 129, no. 5-6, pp. 773-804
• p-ISSN: 0300-9564
• e-ISSN: 1435-1463
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-021-02457-2
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:634905
• Publication: 2022-06
• Project: Number: KK.01.1.1.01.0007; Title (croatian): Eksperimentalna i klinička istraživanja hipoksijsko-ishemijskog oštećenja mozga u perinatalnoj i odrasloj dobi; Leader: Miloš Judaš; Jurisdiction: eu
• Document URL: https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00702-021-02457-2
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access; Embargo expiration date: 2023-07-01
• Created on: 2022-07-18 08:21:52