Diabetes NEP-Like Endopeptidases and Alzheimer's Disease

E-ISSN： 1875-5828|7|3|223-229

ISSN： 1567-2050

Source： Current Alzheimer Research, Vol.7, Iss.3, 2010-05, pp. : 223-229

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Abstract

The accumulation of the amyloid-beta peptide (A&bgr;) continues to emerge as a central factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In recent years attention has been drawn to clearance mechanisms of A&bgr; as evidence suggests reduced clearance may be linked to late-onset AD. Direct degradation of A&bgr; by endopeptidases has emerged as one critical pathway of clearance. Of particular interest are endopeptidases that are sensitive to the neprilysin inhibitors thiorphan and phosphoramidon (i.e. “NEP-like”) as these inhibitors induce a dramatic increase in A&bgr; levels resulting in rapid plaque formation in wild-type rodents. This review focuses on neprilysin (NEP) and on another NEP-like endopeptidase termed neprilysin- 2 (NEP2). The involvement of these endopeptidases in AD and the state of their therapeutic development are discussed.