Purpose Of Review: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure and treatments are at best palliative. Several genes have been linked to ALS, which highlight defects in multiple cellular processes including RNA processing, proteostasis and metabolism. Clinical observations have identified glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia as key features of ALS however the causes of these metabolic alterations remain elusive.
Recent Findings: Recent studies reveal that motor neurons and muscle cells may undergo cell type specific metabolic changes that lead to utilization of alternate fuels. For example, ALS patients' muscles exhibit reduced glycolysis and increased reliance on fatty acids. In contrast, ALS motor neurons contain damaged mitochondria and exhibit impaired lipid beta oxidation, potentially leading to increased glycolysis as a compensatory mechanism.
Summary: These findings highlight the complexities of metabolic alterations in ALS and provide new opportunities for designing therapeutic strategies based on restoring cellular energetics.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5647833 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40142-017-0123-8 | DOI Listing |
Nutrients
December 2024
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Firenze, Italy.
Metabolic alterations, including hypermetabolism, lipid imbalances, and glucose dysregulation, are pivotal contributors to the onset and progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These changes exacerbate systemic energy deficits, heighten oxidative stress, and fuel neuroinflammation. Simultaneously, gastrointestinal dysfunction and gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis intensify disease pathology by driving immune dysregulation, compromising the intestinal barrier, and altering gut-brain axis (GBA) signaling, and lastly advancing neurodegeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons. Although genes causing familial cases have been identified, those of sporadic ALS, which occupies the majority of patients, are still elusive. In this study, we adopted machine learning to build binary classifiers based on the New York Genome Center (NYGC) ALS Consortium's RNA-seq data of the postmortem spinal cord of ALS and non-neurological disease control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Pharm
January 2025
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. Electronic address:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) presents a substantial challenge due to its complex nature, limited effective treatment options, and modest benefits from current therapies in slowing disease progression. This study explores the potential of intranasal delivery to enhance the CNS delivery of riluzole (RLZ), a standard ALS treatment which is subject to blood-brain barrier efflux mechanisms. Additionally, the impact of elacridar (ELC), an efflux pump inhibitor, on IN RLZ CNS bioavailability was examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
January 2025
Department of Tuina and Rehabilitation Medicine, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
Background: Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is a common cause of shoulder pain and dysfunction. Modified posterior shoulder stretching exercises have been proposed as a treatment method aimed at improving shoulder function and reducing pain in patients with SIS. However, the efficacy of these exercises remains controversial, necessitating a systematic meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate their effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Hosp Palliat Care
January 2025
Main Regional Center for Pain Relief and Supportive/Palliative Care, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Palermo, Italy.
In Italy a recent law was approved for providing patients' wishes regarding end of life issues, commonly referred internationally to as "living wills", (Dichiarazione anticipata di trattamento, DAT). Regardless of this official document, advance care planning (ACP) is often used in a palliative care setting to share the treatments to start, to continue, to withdraw, thus preventing the stress on an acute decision. The aim of this study was to assess DAT and ACP in patients with amyotropic lateral sclerosis admitted to home palliative care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!