Molecular Hybridization as a Tool in the Design of Multi-target Directed Drug Candidates for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Abstract

Neurodegenerative Diseases (NDs) are progressive multifactorial neurological pathologies related to neuronal impairment and functional loss from different brain regions. Currently, no effective treatments are available for any NDs, and this lack of efficacy has been attributed to the multitude of interconnected factors involved in their pathophysiology. In the last two decades, a new approach for the rational design of new drug candidates, also called multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs) strategy, has emerged and has been used in the design and for the development of a variety of hybrid compounds capable to act simultaneously in diverse biological targets. Based on the polypharmacology concept, this new paradigm has been thought as a more secure and effective way for modulating concomitantly two or more biochemical pathways responsible for the onset and progress of NDs, trying to overcome low therapeutical effectiveness. As a complement to our previous review article (Curr. Med. Chem. 2007, 14 (17), 1829-1852. https://doi.org/10.2174/092986707781058805), herein we aimed to cover the period from 2008 to 2019 and highlight the most recent advances of the exploitation of Molecular Hybridization (MH) as a tool in the rational design of innovative multifunctional drug candidate prototypes for the treatment of NDs, specially focused on AD, PD, HD and ALS.

Keywords: MTDLs; Molecular hybridization; multi-target directed ligands; multifunctional drugs; neurodegenerative diseases; rational drug design..