Publication Date:
2000-02-26
Description:
The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal, neurodegenerative diseases for which no effective treatments are available. The likelihood that a bovine form of TSE has crossed species barriers and infected humans underscores the urgent need to identify anti-TSE drugs. Certain cyclic tetrapyrroles (porphyrins and phthalocyanines) have recently been shown to inhibit the in vitro formation of PrP-res, a protease-resistant protein critical for TSE pathogenesis. We now report that treatment of TSE-infected animals with three such compounds increased survival time from 50 to 300%. The significant inhibition of TSE disease by structurally dissimilar tetrapyrroles identifies these compounds as anti-TSE drugs.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Priola, S A -- Raines, A -- Caughey, W S -- AG04342/AG/NIA NIH HHS/ -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2000 Feb 25;287(5457):1503-6.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. spriola@nih.gov〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10688802" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Animals
;
Brain/drug effects/metabolism
;
Cricetinae
;
Deuteroporphyrins/chemistry/metabolism/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
;
Disease Progression
;
Ferric Compounds/chemistry/metabolism/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
;
Indoles/chemistry/metabolism/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
;
Metalloporphyrins/chemistry/metabolism/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
;
Mice
;
Mice, Transgenic
;
Porphyrins/chemistry/metabolism/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
;
PrPSc Proteins/*drug effects/metabolism
;
Scrapie/*drug therapy
;
Spleen/drug effects
;
Time Factors
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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