CMS121, a fatty acid synthase inhibitor, protects against excess lipid peroxidation and inflammation and alleviates cognitive loss in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Redox Biol. 2020 Sep:36:101648. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2020.101648. Epub 2020 Jul 21.

Abstract

The oxidative degradation of lipids has been shown to be implicated in the progression of several neurodegenerative diseases and modulating lipid peroxidation may be efficacious for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). This hypothesis is strengthened by recent findings suggesting that oxytosis/ferroptosis, a cell death process characterized by increased lipid peroxidation, plays an important role in AD-related toxicities. CMS121 is a small molecule developed against these aspects of neurodegeneration. Here we show that CMS121 alleviates cognitive loss, modulates lipid metabolism and reduces inflammation and lipid peroxidation in the brains of transgenic AD mice. We identify fatty acid synthase (FASN) as a molecular target of CMS121 and demonstrate that modulating lipid metabolism through the inhibition of FASN protects against several AD-related toxicities. These results support the involvement of lipid peroxidation and perturbed lipid metabolism in AD pathophysiology and propose FASN as a target in AD-associated toxicities.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Cognition; Fatty acid synthase; Ferroptosis; Lipid peroxidation; Oxytosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / drug therapy
  • Alzheimer Disease* / genetics
  • Animals
  • Cognition
  • Fatty Acid Synthases
  • Inflammation / drug therapy
  • Inflammation / genetics
  • Lipid Peroxidation
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic

Substances

  • Fatty Acid Synthases