Nature Communications (Feb 2016)

Repositioning tolcapone as a potent inhibitor of transthyretin amyloidogenesis and associated cellular toxicity

  • Ricardo Sant'Anna,
  • Pablo Gallego,
  • Lei Z. Robinson,
  • Alda Pereira-Henriques,
  • Nelson Ferreira,
  • Francisca Pinheiro,
  • Sebastian Esperante,
  • Irantzu Pallares,
  • Oscar Huertas,
  • Maria Rosário Almeida,
  • Natàlia Reixach,
  • Raul Insa,
  • Adrian Velazquez-Campoy,
  • David Reverter,
  • Núria Reig,
  • Salvador Ventura

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10787
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Misfolding of transthyretin can cause amyloid aggregation disorders that can be treated by stabilizing the tetrameric form with tafamidis. Here the authors show that tolcapone, a drug already FDA-approved for Parkinson disease, has strong transthyretin stabilizing function and might be a superior therapeutic option for CNS amyloidosis as it can cross the blood brain barrier.