Leveraging Plasma Membrane Repair Therapeutics for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract

Plasma membrane repair is an essential cellular mechanism that reseals membrane disruptions after a variety of insults, and compromised repair capacity can contribute to the progression of many diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases are marked by membrane damage from many sources, reduced membrane integrity, elevated intracellular calcium concentrations, enhanced reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial dysfunction, and widespread neuronal death. While the toxic intracellular effects of these changes in cellular physiology have been defined, the specific mechanism of neuronal death in certain neurodegenerative diseases remains unclear. An abundance of recent evidence indicates that neuronal membrane damage and pore formation in the membrane are key contributors to neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. In this review, we have outlined evidence supporting the hypothesis that membrane damage is a contributor to neurodegenerative diseases and that therapeutically enhancing membrane repair can potentially combat neuronal death.

Wound Repair of the Cell Membrane: Lessons from Dictyostelium Cells

“…(7) Assessment of contributions to applied fields: Evaluation of the potential applications of research in this field, particularly in generating therapeutic medicine for the rapid recovery of diseases characterized by impaired wound repair, is necessary. Exogenous delivery of recombinant repair proteins such as MG53, annexins, or synthetic molecules has been shown to significantly enhance membrane repair in vivo and has proven effective for the treatment of muscular and neuronal damage [17,[228][229][230][231]. Additionally, the exploration of implications for developing agricultural fungicides is warranted.…”

“…Loss of the wound repair function is observed in various diseases, including diabetes [11], muscular dystrophies [12,13], acute kidney injury [14], and vitamin deficiencies [15]. Recent studies have identified defects in wound repair as common in Parkinson's and Alzheimer 's diseases [16][17][18]. Plant cells, affected by freezing damage in cold seasons, also possess the capability to repair damaged membranes [19][20][21].…”