Utkin Yuri N
Laboratory of Molecular Toxinology, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russian Federation.
National University of Science and Technology MISIS, 119049 Moscow, Russian Federation.
Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem. 2019;19(2):119-124. doi: 10.2174/1871524919666190320102834.
Aging is a common and inevitable stage in the life cycle of higher organisms. Different organs, including the central nervous system, are affected by aging in different ways. Many processes are involved in aging, and neurodegeneration is one of the aging processes in which the central nervous system is engaged. Brain degeneration during normal aging underlies cognitive disorders experienced by older people. Not all molecular mechanisms associated with age-related neurodegeneration are fully understood; however, there is a whole range of data on the participation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the processes of aging and neurodegeneration. Two main subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 and α4β2 present in the central nervous system are affected by these processes. The loss of these receptor subtypes during normal aging is one of the reasons for the cognitive impairments. The decrease in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors is also very important for the pathogenesis of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, the drugs enhancing receptor functions may be considered promising for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in the aged people.
To achieve healthy longevity, the molecular processes that occur during aging should be established. In this regard, the participation and role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain aging and degeneration are considered in this review.
衰老在高等生物的生命周期中是一个常见且不可避免的阶段。包括中枢神经系统在内的不同器官，以不同方式受到衰老的影响。衰老涉及许多过程，神经退行性变是中枢神经系统参与的衰老过程之一。正常衰老过程中的脑退化是老年人认知障碍的基础。并非所有与年龄相关的神经退行性变相关的分子机制都已完全明了；然而，关于烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体参与衰老和神经退行性变过程有大量数据。中枢神经系统中存在的烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体的两种主要亚型α7和α4β2受这些过程影响。正常衰老过程中这些受体亚型的丧失是认知障碍的原因之一。烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体的减少对年龄相关神经退行性疾病的发病机制也非常重要。因此，增强受体功能的药物可能被认为是治疗老年人认知功能障碍的有前景的药物。
为实现健康长寿，应明确衰老过程中发生的分子过程。在这方面，本综述探讨了烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体在脑衰老和退化中的参与情况及作用。
