Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 in sporadic Parkinson's disease.

Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) play a key role in neuronal protection. They exert this function by metabolizing biogenic amine-related aldehydes, e.g.

Can enzyme kinetics of prooxidants teach us a lesson about the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a pilot post-mortem study.

Objectives: Oxidative stress (OS), is defined as an imbalance of pro- and antioxidants, leading to increased production of free radicals, which can lead to cell damage and death, has been postulated as important factors in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most research has concentrated on the antioxidant system, for the first time, this proof of concept study examines the prooxidant system by investigating kinetic parameters of the free radical producing enzyme xanthine oxidase directly in post mortem brain tissue.

Methods: We determined the Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)) and the maximal velocity (V(Max)) of xanthine oxidase (XO) in the cortico-limbic system of patients with AD using activity assays.

Guanidino compound levels in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and post-mortem brain material of patients with argininemia.

The paucity of hyperammonemic crises together with spasticity, only seen in human arginase I deficient patients and not in patients with other urea cycle disorders, forces a search for candidates other than ammonia to associate with the pathophysiology and symptomatology. Therefore, we determined arginine together with some catabolites of arginine in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of these patients as well as in extremely rare post-mortem brain material of two patients with argininemia. The levels of alpha-keto-delta-guanidinovaleric acid, argininic acid and alpha-N-acetylarginine correlate with the arginine levels in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with imposed or spontaneous protein restriction.

Increased activity of mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the putamen of individuals with Alzheimer's disease: a human postmortem study.

For decades, it has been acknowledged that oxidative stress due to free radical species contributes to the pathophysiology of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) not only transform aldehydes to acids but also act as antioxidant enzymes. However, little is known about the implications of the enzymatic family of ALDH in the context of neurodegenerative processes such as Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Functional neurochemistry of Alzheimer's disease.

A review of neurochemical research on classical neurotransmitters, i.e. acetylcholine, serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, and GABA in Alzheimer's disease is presented.