Metal-Based Therapeutic Strategies of Neurodegenerative Diseases

The role of metal ions in both the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases and their treatments are summarized. The metal ion-mediated protein aggregation and oxidative stress in such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are discussed by integrating our preliminary data. The progress obtained to date shows that the metal chelation might be a preferred strategy in treatments of neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, a number of metal-chelating agents have been introduced into clinical trials. The alkylation of metal binding sites in the disease-linked proteins can significantly inhibit the formation of protein aggregates and reactive oxygen species, suggesting that this strategy may be a potential method to treat the diseases.