Common mechanisms of oxidative damage in chronic neurodegenerative conditions: potential points of therapeutic intervention

The number of published research articles and patents addressing neuronal o xidative damage over the past three years makes it impossible to encompass them all in a single article. Therefore, in preparing this review, the deci sion was made to focus on those reports with the greatest applicability to Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's diseases (PD). In addition, emphasis was p laced on those patents whose compounds had displayed in vivo efficacy. The three main topics of excitotoxicity, lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were selected as having relevance to both AD and PD. Patents pertaining to these diseases were discussed in the context of how they add ress one or more of these three categories. A trend has emerged over the pa st three years as research emphasis seems to be shifting away from generic free radical trapping compounds, towards compounds which stimulate the neur one's endogenous oxidative defences or try to mimic them.