Prospects for redox-based therapy in neurodegenerative diseases

Accumulating evidence supports a primary role for perturbations in redox metabolism in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. This evidence derives mainly from molecular genetic analysis, direct observation from post-mortem human brain, and biochemical, pathologic, and therapeutic studies in transgenic and other animal models of neurodegeneration. We review here the evidence for redox-mediated pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases. The emerging class of redox-based therapeutic agents is then discussed. Drugs of this class are distinguished by their proximate effect, which is oxidative and not phosphorylative.