Lipid and Metabolism

Jamshed Arslan, Pharm D, PhD

By Jamshed Arslan, Pharm. D., PhD.

By Jamshed Arslan, Pharm. D., PhD.

By Jamshed Arslan, Pharm. D., PhD.

By Jamshed Arslan, Pharm. D., PhD.

By Jamshed Arslan Pharm.D.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is best known as a sensor of oxidative stress.  AMPK is activated by increased intracellular AMP levels, which are a result of alterations in cellular metabolism from causes such as hypoxia, changes in ATP, senescence and more.  In cell stress models, AMPK can protect cells from reduced ATP production by altering ATP biosynthetic pathways.  Furthermore, AMPK has implications in reducing inflammatory reactions in apoptosis pathways.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a family of endopeptidases involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix (ECM) during both normal physiological and disease processes. MMP-2 is a zinc-dependent family member that selectively cleaves collagen and elastin, major structural components of the basement membrane. In addition, MMP-2 has been found to affect a number of non-matrix proteins such as big endothelin-1 (Fernandez-Patron et al., 1999), KISS (Takino et al., 2003), GSK3B (Kandasamy et al., 2009), and CHUK (Olivotto et al., 2013).

Transferrin, an iron binding protein that facilitates iron uptake in cells, is an integral part of a mechanism that may introduce antibody therapies to the central nervous system. Currently, the brain’s ability to take in antibody therapies is limited by the presence of the blood brain barrier.