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REVIEW article

Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Brain-aging
Volume 16 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1454735
This article is part of the Research Topic Targeting the Aging Mitochondria: Mechanisms, Methods, and Therapeutic Strategies View all 4 articles

Study insights in the role of PGC-1α in neurological diseases: mechanisms and therapeutic potential

Provisionally accepted
Mibo Tang Mibo Tang 1*Zhengwei Hu Zhengwei Hu 2Haiyang Luo Haiyang Luo 2Shuo Zhang Shuo Zhang 2Changhe Shi Changhe Shi 2Yu-ming Xu Yu-ming Xu 2
  • 1 First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), which is highly expressed in the central nervous system, is known to be involved in the regulation of mitochondrial biosynthesis, metabolic regulation, neuroinflammation, autophagy, and oxidative stress. This knowledge indicates a potential role of PGC-1α in a wide range of functions associated with neurological diseases. There is emerging evidence indicating a protective role of PGC-1α in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases. As such, a deeper and broader understanding of PGC-1α and its role in neurological diseases is urgently needed. The present review provides a relatively complete overview of the current knowledge on PGC-1α, including its functions in different types of neurons, basic structural characteristics, and its interacting transcription factors. Furthermore, we present the role of PGC-1α in the pathogenesis of various neurological diseases, such as intracerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and other PolyQ diseases. Importantly, we discuss some compounds or drug-targeting strategies that have been studied to ameliorate the pathology of these neurological diseases and introduce the possible mechanistic pathways. Based on the available studies, we propose that targeting PGC-1α could serve as a promising novel therapeutic strategy for one or more neurological diseases.

    Keywords: PGC-1α, Mitochondria, Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress, Neurological Diseases

    Received: 25 Jun 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tang, Hu, Luo, Zhang, Shi and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mibo Tang, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.