Neuroprotection is the mechanisms and strategies used to protect against neuronal injury or degeneration in the Central Nervous System (CNS) following acute disorders (e.g. stroke or nervous system injury/trauma) or as a result of chronic neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis).
The goal of Neuroprotection is to limit neuronal dysfunction/death after CNS injury and attempt to maintain the highest possible integrity of cellular interactions in the brain resulting in an undisturbed neural function.
There is a wide range of neuroprotection products available or under investigation and some products can potentially be used in more than one disorder, as many of the underlying mechanisms of damage to neural tissues (in both acute disorders and in chronic neurodegenerative diseases) are similar. Products with neuroprotective effects are grouped into the following categories:
— Free radical trappers/scavengers– Anti-excitotoxic agents– Apoptosis (programmed cell death) inhibitors– Anti-inflammatory agents– Neurotrophic factors– Metal ion chelators– Ion channel modulators– Gene therapy