Calcium-activated potassium channels: implications for aging and age-related neurodegeneration.

Calcium-activated potassium channels: implications for aging and age-related neurodegeneration. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2020 Apr 27;:105748 Authors: Trombetta-Lima M, Krabbendam IE, Dolga AM Abstract Population aging, as well as the handling of age-associated diseases, is a worldwide increasing concern. Among them, Alzheimer's disease stands out as the major cause of dementia culminating in full dependence on other people for basic functions. However, despite numerous efforts, in the last decades, there was no new approved therapeutic drug for the treatment of the disease. Calcium-activated potassium channels have emerged as a potential tool for neuronal protection by modulating intracellular calcium signaling. Their subcellular localization is determinant of their functional effects. When located on the plasma membrane of neuronal cells, they can modulate synaptic function, while their activation at the inner mitochondrial membrane has a neuroprotective potential via the attenuation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in conditions of oxidative stress. Here we review the dual role of these channels in the aging phenotype and Alzheimer's disease pathology and discuss their potential use as a therapeutic tool. PMID: 32353429 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Int J Biochem Cell Biol Source Type: research