Kinsmen Laboratory of Neurological Research, University of B.C, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Expert Rev Neurother. 2001 Sep;1(1):53-60. doi: 10.1586/14737175.1.1.53.
Postmortem studies have revealed a state of chronic inflammation in affected regions of the brain in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Chronic inflammation can be damaging to host cells and the brain may be particularly vulnerable as neurons are not replaced. Evidence suggests that the inflammation is killing neurons in AD brain, so anti-inflammatory agents might slow the process of the disease. More than 20 epidemiological studies have shown that persons taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a greatly reduced incidence of AD. In one clinical trial, indomethacin appeared to halt the progression of memory loss in AD patients. NSAIDs inhibit synthesis of prostaglandins, which are fringe players in the inflammatory process. Agents that would block the more important actors, such as the complement system, activated microglia and inflammatory cytokines, might have important therapeutic benefits in AD as well as in other conditions, such as heart disease and stroke, where inflammation also plays a deleterious role.
尸检研究表明，阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者大脑受影响区域存在慢性炎症状态。慢性炎症可能对宿主细胞造成损害，而大脑可能特别脆弱，因为神经元不能被替代。有证据表明，炎症正在杀死 AD 大脑中的神经元，因此抗炎药可能会减缓疾病的进程。超过 20 项流行病学研究表明，服用非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）的人患 AD 的发病率大大降低。在一项临床试验中，吲哚美辛似乎阻止了 AD 患者记忆丧失的进展。NSAIDs 抑制前列腺素的合成，前列腺素在炎症过程中只是边缘参与者。阻断更重要的参与者（如补体系统、激活的小胶质细胞和炎症细胞因子）的药物，可能对 AD 以及心脏病和中风等其他炎症也会产生有害作用的疾病具有重要的治疗益处。
