Therapeutic application of histone deacetylase inhibitors for central nervous system disorder

jerry submitted, created time 1 month 2 days (www.nature.com)

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) — enzymes that affect the acetylation status of histones and other important cellular proteins — have been recognized as potentially useful therapeutic targets for a broad range of human disorders. Pharmacological manipulations using small-molecule HDAC inhibitors — which may restore transcriptional balance to neurons, modulate cytoskeletal function, affect immune responses and enhance protein degradation pathways — have been beneficial in various experimental models of brain diseases

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FDA Approves First Drug for Treatment of Chorea in Huntington’s Disease

kavin submitted, created time 3 months 5 days (www.fda.gov)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Xenazine (tetrabenazine) for the treatment of chorea in people with Huntington’s disease. Chorea is the jerky, involuntary movement that occurs in people with this disease.

Xenazine is a new drug and is the first treatment of any kind approved in the United States for any symptom of Huntington’s disease. Currently there are no other drugs that are FDA-approved to treat chorea.

Serious side effects reported with use of Xenazine include depression and suicidal thoughts and actions

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Monkey Model of Huntington's Disease