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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Mol. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Disease Mechanisms
Volume 18 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2025.1518868
This article is part of the Research Topic Advances in Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Disease Research: Focus on Innovative Human-Relevant Brain Research View all articles
Neurotrophic Factor Alpha 1 Gene Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease: Scope and advancements
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 2 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of all cases globally. Hallmark pathologies of AD include the accumulation of amyloid β peptide and phosphorylated tau, leading to neuronal circuit dysfunction, defective axonal transport, and neurotransmitter system (NTS) abnormalities. Disruptions in acetylcholine, GABA, dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate levels, as well as the loss of cholinergic, GABAergic, and monoaminergic neurons, contribute to the progression of AD. Additionally, neurotrophic factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) are significantly reduced in AD, impacting neuronal health and synaptic integrity. This review highlights the emerging role of neurotrophic factor alpha 1 (NF-α1), also known as carboxypeptidase E, in AD. NF-α1 shows neuroprotective and neurogenesis-promoting properties, offering potential for therapeutic interventions. The review compares NF-α1 gene therapy with other neurotrophin-based treatments, providing insights into its efficacy in AD management.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, amyloid β peptide, Neurotransmitter system (NTS) abnormalities, Neurotrophic factor alpha 1 (NF-α1), Carboxypeptidase E, Gene therapy in AD Font: Bold, Highlight Field Code Changed
Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 10 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shaikh, Ahmad, Teoh, Kumar and Yahaya. 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:
Mohamad Fairuz Yahaya, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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