Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Neurological Disorders: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Gene Therapy for ALS-A Perspective

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motor neuron disease (MND) with no cure. Recent advances in gene therapy open a new perspective to treat this disorder-particularly for the characterized genetic forms. Gene therapy approaches, involving the delivery of antisense oligonucleotides into the central nervous system (CNS) are being tested in clinical trials for patients with mutations in SOD1 or C9orf72 genes. Viral vectors can be used to deliver therapeutic sequences to stably transduce motor neurons in the CNS. Vectors derived from adeno-associated virus (AAV), can efficiently target genes and have been tested in several pre-clinical settings with promising outcomes. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zolgensma, an AAV-mediated treatment for another MND-the infant form of spinal muscular atrophy. Given the accelerated progress in gene therapy, it is potentially a promising avenue to develop an efficient and safe cure for ALS.

n-butylidenephthalide treatment prolongs life span and attenuates motor neuron loss in SOD1G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

AIMS

To evaluate the therapeutic effects of n-butylidenephthalide (BP) in SOD1G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and explore the possible mechanisms.

METHODS

The SOD1G93A mice were treated by oral administration of BP (q.d., 400 mg/kg d) starting from 60 days of age and continuing until death. The rotarod test was performed to assess the disease onset. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins, inflammatory molecules, and autophagy-associated proteins were determined. The number of apoptotic motor neurons and the extent of microglial and astroglial activation were also assessed in the lumbar spinal cords of BP-treated mice. Grip strength test, hematoxylin-eosin staining, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen staining, and malondialdehyde assay were conducted to evaluate the muscle function and pathology.

RESULTS

Although BP treatment did not delay the disease onset, it prolonged the life span and thereafter extended the disease duration in SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS. BP treatment also reduced the motor neuron loss through inhibiting apoptosis. We further demonstrated that the neuroprotective effects of BP might be resulted from the inhibition of inflammatory, oxidative stress, and autophagy.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that BP may be a promising candidate for the treatment of ALS.