Abstract | INTRODUCTION:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major cause of morbidity worldwide and its prevalence is expected to rise. Previous studies involving compounds that target the accumulation of amyloid β protein have been unsuccessful, renewing interest in therapies directed against intracellular deposits of tau proteins. Derived from methylene blue, hydromethylthionine is a tau aggregation inhibitor that recently emerged as a promising disease-modifying treatment for AD. AREAS COVERED: EXPERT OPINION: Randomized clinical trials with hydromethylthionine failed to show any impact of the doses used on the disease course. Data analysis from a non-randomized cohort showed that a smaller dose of the drug previously thought to be ineffective and used as placebo, prescribed as monotherapy rather than as add-on to AD approved symptomatic therapies may slow cognitive decline. This finding was further confirmed by a pharmacokinetic analysis study showing a dose/response relationship with doses around 16 mg daily. Future trials need to study the pharmacological properties of hydromethylthionine and ascertain the optimal safe and effective dose to be used.
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Authors | Nader Nael Hashweh, Zachary Bartochowski, Rita Khoury, George T Grossberg |
Journal | Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy
(Expert Opin Pharmacother)
Vol. 21
Issue 6
Pg. 619-627
(Apr 2020)
ISSN: 1744-7666 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 32037892
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
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Chemical References |
- Amyloid beta-Peptides
- Protein Aggregates
- tau Proteins
- hydromethylthionine
- Methylene Blue
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Topics |
- Alzheimer Disease
(drug therapy, metabolism)
- Amyloid beta-Peptides
(metabolism)
- Animals
- Cognitive Dysfunction
(prevention & control)
- Cohort Studies
- Disease Progression
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Humans
- Methylene Blue
(adverse effects, analogs & derivatives, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use)
- Protein Aggregates
(drug effects)
- Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
- Treatment Outcome
- tau Proteins
(metabolism)
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