Open AccessProgress in mechanisms of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Shaomin Li,
Mingshu Mo,
Pingyi Xu
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
neuroimmunolgy and neuroinflammation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2349-6142
pISSN - 2347-8659
DOI - 10.4103/2347-8659.167305
Subject(s) - memantine , medicine , acetylcholinesterase , publishing , disease , neuroscience , pharmacology , dementia , literature , biochemistry , chemistry , biology , enzyme , art
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common causes of dementia in the elderly. Currently, only two classes of drugs, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) and memantine are approved. AChEIs ameliorate cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in AD patients through activation of acetylcholine (ACh) receptors by increased synaptic ACh levels and also have protective effects against glutamate neurotoxicity and inflammation, whereas memantine appears to mainly protect against excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. Herein, we review the pharmacologic properties of the available AChEIs and memantine, and focus on recent progress in the mechanisms of AD in relation to acetylcholinergic and glutamatergic involvement