Research and therapeutics in Alzheimer's disease based on amyloid beta and tau

Abstract

Introduction: Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder related to dementia and cognitive impairment. The research into potential therapies has shifted towards the inhibition of both β amyloid and tau aggregates. Objective: To update the research in the development of therapeutic strategies for AD based on the PβA and tau study. Method: PubMed database was used to search the required information using the related keywords. Immunohistochemistry was performed on AD brain tissue sections. Results: Due to its pathological relevance, the main research for the therapeutic strategies in AD are based on Aβ and tau as following: decreasing Aβ formation, reducing Aβ levels, immunotherapy to Aβ and tau, interfering or disrupting Aβ and tau aggregates, inhibiting and activating kinase and phosphatase activity respectively, and stabilizing microtubules. Discussion and conclusion: the PβA formation and aggregation as well as the posttranslational modifications of tau that promotes its aggregation have shown to be key mechanisms for the AD onset, hence, to prevent the evolution of the disease it is essential to inhibit these processes in the early stages of the onset, but, these strategies have caused side effects blocking important physiological functions, thus leading to research approaches such as the inhibition of the aggregation of both PβA and tau, that seems to be the most efficient therapeutic strategy for AD.