Neuroinflammation and Autophagy Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases: New Therapeutic Strategies

Neuroinflammation and autophagy dysfunction play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. Research suggests that neuroinflammation leads to a chronic pathological state, resulting in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress, which causes neuronal damage. Meanwhile, defective autophagy exacerbates disease by promoting protein accumulation, thereby enhancing neuroinflammation. This review focuses on critical pathways, including mTOR and AMPK, that regulate these events and illustrates how their dysregulation may lead to a vicious cycle of inflammation and autophagy dysfunction. New therapeutic strategies, including the regulation of cellular homeostasis, may contribute to the treatment of these diseases. Additionally, approaches that promote the upregulation of autophagy can enable the selective removal of inflammatory mediators and aggregated/misfolded proteins. Advanced approaches, such as CRISPR-based gene editing and RNA therapeutics, provide tools to target molecular mechanisms involved in these neurodegenerative disorders. The development of reliable biomarkers and novel delivery strategies may also pave the way for personalized treatments. Furthermore, artificial intelligence-based workflows and models may strengthen the screening of autophagy modulators and potential drug targets.
Neuroinflammation and autophagy dysregulation are critical in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. Neuroinflammation occurs after a sustained immune response, which transitions into a chronic pathological state, leading to the sustained generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress, causing neuronal damage. Meanwhile, defective autophagy exacerbates disease by promoting protein accumulation, e.g., amyloid-ฮฒ, tau, and ฮฑ-synuclein, thereby enhancing neuroinflammation. In this review, we focus on critical pathways, including mTOR and AMPK, that regulate these events and illustrate how their dysregulation may lead to a vicious cycle of inflammation and autophagy dysfunction. Novel therapeutic strategies, including mTOR inhibitors, autophagy enhancers, and inflammasome modulators, may contribute to cellular homeostasis. Furthermore, approaches that promote upregulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy can enable selective clearance of mediators of inflammatory response and aggregated/misfolded proteins. Advanced approaches such as CRISPR-based gene editing and RNA therapeutics provide tools to target molecular mechanisms involved in these neurodegenerative disorders, whereas the development of reliable biomarkers and novel delivery strategies may pave the way for personalized treatments. Moreover, artificial intelligence-based workflows and models may strengthen phenotypic and mechanistic screening of autophagy modulators and potential drug targets. By incorporating these forthcoming insights, this review underscores the critical need for comprehensive therapies that target both neuroinflammation and autophagy dysfunction to mitigate disease progression and improve patient outcomes.
This study highlights the critical role of neuroinflammation and autophagy dysfunction in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. By understanding these mechanisms, new therapeutic strategies can be developed, and personalized treatments may become possible. The development of effective therapies that target both neuroinflammation and autophagy dysfunction is crucial to mitigate disease progression and improve patient outcomes.