Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-17-2019
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the world, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular amyloid-beta protein deposits represent the major pathological hallmarks of the disease. Currently available treatments provide some symptomatic relief but fail to modify primary pathological processes that underlie the disease. Erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic growth factor, acts primarily to stimulate erythroid cell production, and is clinically used to treat anemia. EPO has evolved as a therapeutic agent for neurodegeneration and has improved neurological outcomes and AD pathology in rodents. However, penetration of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and negative hematopoietic effects are the two major challenges for the therapeutic development of EPO for chronic neurodegenerative diseases like AD. The transferrin receptors at the BBB, which are responsible for transporting transferrin-bound iron from the blood into the brain parenchyma, can be used to shuttle therapeutic molecules across the BBB. In this review, we discuss the role of EPO as a potential neurotherapeutic for AD, challenges associated with EPO development for AD, and targeting the BBB transferrin receptor for EPO brain delivery.
Recommended Citation
Sun J, Martin JM, Vanderpoel V, Sumbria RK. The promises and challenges of erythropoietin for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Neuromol Med. 2019;21(1):12-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12017-019-08524-y
Copyright
Springer
Included in
Animal Experimentation and Research Commons, Medical Neurobiology Commons, Nervous System Diseases Commons, Other Chemicals and Drugs Commons, Other Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons, Pharmaceutical Preparations Commons, Therapeutics Commons
Comments
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in NeuroMolecular Medicine, volume 21, issue 1, in 2019 following peer review. The final publication may differ and is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s12017-019-08524-y
A free-to-read copy of the final published article is available here.