Novel Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Agents for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a type of motor system disorder that results from the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) of the midbrain. It is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders, with an incidence that is second only to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although replacement of dopamine can temporarily alleviate the symptoms of PD patients, it can not prevent the progression of the disease. Increasing evidence has suggested that neuroinflammation significantly contributes to the progress of PD. Therefore, anti-inflammatory therapy could represent a promising neuroprotective intervention with the potential to delay or prevent onset of the disease. This review summarizes several novel potential agents/candidates that might open new avenues for the treatment of PD. In addition to possessing demonstrated anti-inflammatory activities that operate through different molecular mechanisms, these agents exert neuroprotective effects by enhancing the production of neurotrophic factors or interfering with the apoptosis of neurons.