Neuroprotection in Huntington's disease

Minocycline, the 7-dimethylamino- 6-dimethyl-desoxytetracycline hydrochloride, is a caspase-1 inhibitor and may serve as anti-apoptotic agent, thereby acting neuroprotective. It directly inhibits both caspase-independent and -dependent mitochondrial cell death pathways, and decreases inducible nitric oxide synthetase activity. Minocycline delays disease progression in the transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD), extending survival by 14%. HD is a late onset relentlessly progressive, neurodegenerative disorder with currently no cures or even effective therapies, death occurring 15 years after onset. In this review, recent clinical and preclinical data on minocycline in HD and neuroprotective alternatives discussed.