Analysis of neuroprotective effects of valproic acid and the analogues in motor neurons

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a late-onset progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by substantial loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord, brain stem and motor cortex. Synaptic over-excitation (excitotoxicity) of vulnerable motoneurons is thought to be of major impact for the pathophysiology of this selective neurodegeneration. Valproic acid (2-propylpentanoic acid, VPA) is one of the most frequently prescribed antiepileptic drugs and acts mainly by a blockade of voltage dependent Na- and K-channels and by an enhancement of GABAergic inhibition as a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transamina…