Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China.
State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Target and Screening Research, Beijing, China.
Mol Neurobiol. 2021 May;58(5):2183-2201. doi: 10.1007/s12035-020-02232-6. Epub 2021 Jan 7.
Cholesterol is an indispensable component of the cell membrane and plays vital roles in critical physiological processes. Brain cholesterol accounts for a large portion of total cholesterol in the human body, and its content must be tightly regulated to ensure normal brain function. Disorders of cholesterol metabolism in the brain are linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and other atypical cognitive deficits that arise at old age. However, the specific role of cholesterol metabolism disorder in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases has not been fully elucidated. Statins that are a class of lipid-lowering drugs have been reported to have a positive effect on neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we reviewed the physiological and pathological conditions of cholesterol metabolism and discussed the possible mechanisms of cholesterol metabolism and statin therapy in neurodegenerative diseases.
胆固醇是细胞膜不可缺少的组成部分，在关键的生理过程中发挥着重要作用。大脑中的胆固醇占人体总胆固醇的很大一部分，其含量必须严格调控以确保大脑功能正常。大脑中胆固醇代谢的紊乱与神经退行性疾病有关，包括阿尔茨海默病（AD）、帕金森病（PD）、亨廷顿病（HD）和其他老年时出现的非典型认知缺陷。然而，胆固醇代谢紊乱在神经退行性疾病发病机制中的具体作用尚未完全阐明。据报道，他汀类药物是一类降脂药物，对神经退行性疾病有积极作用。在此，我们综述了胆固醇代谢的生理和病理条件，并讨论了胆固醇代谢和他汀类药物治疗在神经退行性疾病中的可能机制。
