Recent Advances and Perspectives in the Treatment of Dementia

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2024) | Viewed by 6497

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
Interests: medicinal chemistry; drug discovery; organic synthesis; physicochemical properties; multitarget-directed ligands; neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia; depression; schizophrenia

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Guest Editor
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
Interests: medicinal chemistry; drug discovery; organic synthesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dementia is a syndrome in which deterioration in cognitive function beyond what might be expected from the usual consequences of biological ageing occurs. Dementia affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement. Moreover, among patients with dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are frequently observed. Dementia has physical, psychological, social, and economic impacts, not only for people living with dementia but also for their carers, families, and society as a whole.

Currently, more than 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. Impairment in cognitive function can be caused by a variety of diseases and injuries that primarily or secondarily affect the brain. Types of dementia include Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, the degeneration of the frontal lobe of the brain, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome, and mixed dementia. Moreover, dementia may also develop after a stroke, certain infections, the harmful use of alcohol, repetitive physical injuries to the brain, or nutritional deficiencies.

Dementia is a complex disease with multiple etiologies and multiple treatments; however, currently available anti-dementia medicines are disease-modifying therapies and have limited efficacy. Thus, therapy for people diagnosed with dementia with antidementia compounds is still an urgent, unmet need.

The journal Pharmaceuticals invites both reviews and original articles that shed light on the recent advancements and perspectives in the treatment of dementia. Topics include drug repositioning, multifunctional compounds, the discovery of multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs), computer-aided drug design, and nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments in clinical trials. The collection of manuscripts will be published as a Special Issue of the journal.

Dr. Agnieszka Zagórska
Dr. Anna Czopek
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • dementia
  • lewy body dementia
  • frontotemporal dementia
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • drug repurposing
  • multifunctional compounds
  • multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs)
  • management of dementia-related psychosis
  • gut microbiota in dementia

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1321 KiB  
Article
Potential Anti-Amnesic Activity of a Novel Multimodal Derivative of Salicylamide, JJGW08, in Mice
by Elżbieta Żmudzka, Klaudia Lustyk, Kinga Sałaciak, Agata Siwek, Jolanta Jaśkowska, Marcin Kołaczkowski, Jacek Sapa and Karolina Pytka
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(3), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16030399 - 6 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1942
Abstract
Memory impairments constitute a significant problem worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the prevalence of cognitive deficits. Patients with cognitive deficits, specifically memory disturbances, have underlying comorbid conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety, or depression. Moreover, the available treatment options have unsatisfactory effectiveness. [...] Read more.
Memory impairments constitute a significant problem worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the prevalence of cognitive deficits. Patients with cognitive deficits, specifically memory disturbances, have underlying comorbid conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety, or depression. Moreover, the available treatment options have unsatisfactory effectiveness. Therefore, there is a need to search for novel procognitive and anti-amnesic drugs with additional pharmacological activity. One of the important therapeutic targets involved in the modulation of learning and memory processes are serotonin receptors, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT6, and 5-HT7, which also play a role in the pathophysiology of depression. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the anti-amnesic and antidepressant-like potential of JJGW08, a novel arylpiperazine alkyl derivative of salicylamide with strong antagonistic properties at 5-HT1A and D2 receptors and weak at 5-HT2A and 5-HT7 receptors in rodents. First, we investigated the compound’s affinity for 5-HT6 receptors using the radioligand assays. Next, we assessed the influence of the compound on long-term emotional and recognition memory. Further, we evaluated whether the compound could protect against MK-801-induced cognitive impairments. Finally, we determined the potential antidepressant-like activity of the tested compound. We found that JJGW08 possessed no affinity for 5-HT6 receptors. Furthermore, JJGW08 protected mice against MK-801-induced recognition and emotional memory deficits but showed no antidepressant-like effects in rodents. Therefore, our preliminary study may suggest that blocking serotonin receptors, especially 5-HT1A and 5-HT7, might be beneficial in treating cognitive impairments, but it requires further investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in the Treatment of Dementia)
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Review

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19 pages, 4535 KiB  
Review
Drug Discovery and Development Targeting Dementia
by Agnieszka Zagórska, Anna Czopek, Monika Fryc, Anna Jaromin and Ben J. Boyd
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(2), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16020151 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3729
Abstract
Dementia, most often associated with neurodegenerative diseases, affects millions of people worldwide, predominantly the elderly. Unfortunately, no treatment is still available. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address this situation. This review presents the state of the art of drug discovery and [...] Read more.
Dementia, most often associated with neurodegenerative diseases, affects millions of people worldwide, predominantly the elderly. Unfortunately, no treatment is still available. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address this situation. This review presents the state of the art of drug discovery and developments in targeting dementia. Several approaches are discussed, such as drug repurposing, the use of small molecules, and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Furthermore, the review also provides insights into clinical trials of these molecules. Emphasis has been placed on small molecules and multi-target-directed ligands, as well as disease-modifying therapies. Finally, attention is drawn to the possibilities of applications of nanotechnology in managing dementia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in the Treatment of Dementia)
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