NRF2 in neurodegenerative diseases

 Antonio Cuadrado, Current Opinion in Toxicology, Available online 3 October 2016, ISSN 2468-2020, doi:10.1016/j.cotox.2016.09.004.

Neurodegenerative diseases, and degenerative disorders as a whole, share in common the deviation from homeostatic responses related to the control of proteostasis and low-grade chronic oxidative, inflammatory, and metabolic stress. These are all crucial events where transcription factor Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2) plays a very important defensive role. In this paper, biochemical and genetic evidence connecting NRF2 with neurodegenerative diseases will be discussed, mainly in the context of preclinical mouse models and in patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. NRF2 can be targeted pharmacologically and the most successful drugs to endorse a neuroprotective therapy will be commented, including dimethyl fumarate.

 NRF2 in neurodegenerative diseases