Alzheimer's Disease Related Products - Cyclooxygenase (COX)

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Alzheimer's Home Alzheimer's Interactive Pathway™ Alzheimer's Brain Tissue Sections a-Secretase b-Amyloid b-Secretase g-Secretase Tau GSK-3 Acetylcholinesterase Cyclooxygenase

For over 30 years, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that inhibit the activity of cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and COX-2) have been the primary drugs used in the treatment of various rheumatological disorders, inflammation, and chronic pain. More recently, there has been an upsurge of interest in COX-2 inhibitors as possible candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This is due to the fact that researchers have begun to think about “inflammation as a factor” in the development and/or progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Most researchers believe that inflammation contributes to the neuronal damage and that reducing inflammation may help slow or prevent the progression of AD. Several epidemiological studies have shown that groups of people who are on NSAIDs for such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis have a reduced probability of developing AD. It is reported that NSAIDs inhibit human Ab aggregation in vitro and reverse the b-sheet conformation of preformed fibrils.

Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors