{"id":5392,"date":"2015-12-15T16:37:50","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T16:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu\/?p=5392"},"modified":"2015-12-15T16:37:50","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T16:37:50","slug":"aspirin-targets-key-protein-in-alzheimers-parkinsons-and-huntingtons-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neurodegenerationresearch.eu\/sv\/2015\/12\/aspirin-targets-key-protein-in-alzheimers-parkinsons-and-huntingtons-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspirin targets key protein in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease"},"content":{"rendered":"
A new study finds that a component of aspirin binds to an enzyme called GAPDH, which is believed to play a major role in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer\u2019s, Parkinson\u2019s and Huntington\u2019s diseases.<\/p>\n
Researchers discovered that salicylic acid, the primary breakdown product of aspirin, binds to GAPDH, thereby stopping it from moving into a cell\u2019s nucleus, where it can trigger the cell\u2019s death. The study, which appears in the journal PLOS ONE<\/em>, also suggests that derivatives of salicylic acid may hold promise for treating multiple neurodegenerative diseases.<\/p>\n
The researchers performed high-throughput screens to identify proteins in the human body that bind to salicylic acid. GAPDH, (Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase), is a central enzyme in glucose metabolism, but plays additional roles in the cell. Under oxidative stress\u2014an excess of free radicals and other reactive compounds\u2014GAPDH is modified and then enters the nucleus of neurons, where it enhances protein turnover, leading to cell death.<\/p>\n
The anti-Parkinson\u2019s drug deprenyl blocks GAPDH\u2019s entry into the nucleus and the resulting cell death. The researchers discovered that salicylic acid also is effective at stopping GAPDH from moving into the nucleus and preventing cell death.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe enzyme GAPDH, long thought to function solely in glucose metabolism, is now known to participate in intracellular signaling,\u201d said co-author Solomon Snyder, professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. \u201cThe new study establishes that GAPDH is a target for salicylate drugs related to aspirin, and hence may be relevant to the therapeutic actions of such drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n