α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is a key protein that accumulates as hyperphosphorylated aggregates in pathologic hallmark features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Phosphorylation of this protein at serine 129 is believed to promote its aggregation and neurotoxicity suggesting that this post-translational modification could be a therapeutic target. Here, we demonstrate that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) dephosphorylates α-Syn at serine 129, and that this activity is greatly enhanced by carboxyl methylation of the catalytic C subunit of PP2A. α-Syn transgenic mice raised on a diet supplemented with eicosinoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide (EHT), an agent that enhances PP2A methylation, dramatically reduced both α-Syn phosphorylation at Serine 129 and α-Syn aggregation in the brain. These biochemical changes were associated with enhanced neuronal activity, increased dendritic arborizations, reduced astroglial and microglial activation, as well as improved motor performance. These findings support the notion that serine 129 phosphorylation of α-Syn is of pathogenetic significance, and that promoting PP2A activity is a viable disease modifying therapeutic strategy for α-synucleinopathies such as PD.

The discovery of a pyrrolopyrimidine class of LIM-kinase 2 (LIMK2) inhibitors is reported. These LIMK2 inhibitors show good potency in enzymatic and cellular assays and good selectivity against ROCK. After topical dosing to the eye in a steroid induced mouse model of ocular hypertension, the compounds reduce intraocular pressure to baseline levels. The compounds also increase outflow facility in a pig eye perfusion assay. These results suggest LIMK2 may be an effective target for treating ocular hypertension and associated glaucoma.

Tau hyperphosphorylation is thought to play an important role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease by facilitating the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Reducing phosphorylation through kinase inhibition has therefore emerged as a target for drug development, but despite considerable efforts to develop therapeutic kinase inhibitors, success has been limited. An alternative approach is to develop pharmaceuticals to enhance the activity of the principal phospho-tau phosphatase, phosphoprotein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). In this article we review evidence that this mechanism is pharmacologically achievable and has promise for delivering the next generation of Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics. A number of different chemotypes have been reported to lead to enhanced PP2A activity through a range of proposed mechanisms. Some of these compounds appear to act directly as allosteric activators of PP2A, while others act indirectly by inhibiting the binding of PP2A inhibitors or by altering post-translational modifications that act in turn to regulate PP2A activity towards phospho-tau. These results indicate that PP2A may provide a useful target that can be safely, selectively and effectively modulated through pharmaceutical intervention to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

A regioselective synthesis has been developed for the preparation of unsymmetrical 1,3,5-triaryl-4-alkylpyrazolines and -pyrazoles by treatment of alpha-benzotriazolyl-alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones with monosubstituted hydrazines followed by alkylation at the 4-position of the pyrazoline ring. Reaction of alpha-benzotriazolyl-alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones with hydroxylamine gives 3,5-disubstituted isoxazoles regioselectively.

Consumption of coffee is associated with reduced risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), an effect that has largely been attributed to caffeine. However, coffee contains numerous components that may also be neuroprotective. One of these compounds is eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide (EHT), which ameliorates the phenotype of α-synuclein transgenic mice associated with decreased protein aggregation and phosphorylation, improved neuronal integrity and reduced neuroinflammation. Here, we sought to investigate if EHT has an effect in the MPTP model of PD. Mice fed a diet containing EHT for four weeks exhibited dosedependent preservation of nigral dopaminergic neurons following MPTP challenge compared to animals given control feed. Reductions in striatal dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase content were also less pronounced with EHT treatment. The neuroinflammatory response to MPTP was markedly attenuated, and indices of oxidative stress and JNK activation were significantly prevented with EHT. In cultured primary microglia and astrocytes, EHT had a direct anti-inflammatory effect demonstrated by repression of lipopolysaccharideinduced NFκB activation, iNOS induction, and nitric oxide production. EHT also exhibited a robust antioxidant activity in vitro. Additionally, in SH-SY5Y cells, MPP + -induced demethylation of phosphoprotein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), the master regulator of the cellular phosphoregulatory network, and cytotoxicity were ameliorated by EHT. These findings indicate that the neuroprotective effect of EHT against MPTP is through several mechanisms including its antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities as well as its ability to modulate the methylation and hence activity of PP2A. Our data, therefore, reveal a strong beneficial effect of a novel component of coffee in multiple endpoints relevant to PD.Kang-Woo Lee and Joo-Young Im contributed equally to this work.