Brain cytochrome p450 enzymes: a possible therapeutic targets for neurological diseases

Abstract

Neurological diseases (ND) afflict hundreds of millions of people worldwide and constitute 12% of total deaths of the population all around the world. According to a global study conducted by the World Health Organization, 8 out of 10 disorders in the 3 rd highest disability classes are neurologic problems. Commonly they have disabling consequences, compromising severely the quality of the life of affected subjects. Often therapeutic strategies are limited in efficacy. Limitations lie with the enormous fragility of the so complex structure and functions accomplished by the central nervous system, together with the presence of the barrier between the tissue and the blood limiting the penetration of drugs. For these reason new strategies to protect the brain are essential. One way might be the enhancement of local biomolecular mechanisms (metabolizing enzymes, transporters, etc.). However, increasing evidence underline that our knowledge of the brain is still partial, and information cannot simply be derived from other well-known organs such as the liver. This is the case for the brain cytochrome P450 enzymes, showing differential cellular localization, brain regional expression and modulation.