Site-specifically deuterated essential lipids as new drugs against neuronal, retinal and vascular degeneration
Highlights
- Damage of nerve cellular membranes by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is thought to be the principal cause of various neurological diseases, with some of them being fatal and having no current cure or prevention.
- The breakthrough new medicine against neurodegeneration shows promise in ongoing clinical trials. It is based on the well-known capability of the heavy isotope of hydrogen, deuterium, to strengthen molecular bonds and to slow down chemical transformation.
An original approach to drug discovery and development is now in clinical and preclinical trials. The approach is based on the ‘kinetic isotope effect’ (i.e., the effect of isotopic substitution on chemical reaction rates). By replacing selective hydrogen atoms with deuterium in essential and conditionally essential lipids, a novel class of potent drugs is being created that prevents cellular and vascular oxidative damage causing diverse pathologies, such as neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis and macular degeneration. This review describes the molecular mechanisms underlying the new treatment modalities in these diseases and the encouraging results of ongoing studies for candidate drugs. Also, the possible extension of this new drug platform to treatment of nonoxidative diseases by deuterium-reinforced amino acids and nucleobases is briefly discussed.
