Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Mar 2021)

Doxycycline Interferes With Tau Aggregation and Reduces Its Neuronal Toxicity

  • Luciana Medina,
  • Florencia González-Lizárraga,
  • Antonio Dominguez-Meijide,
  • Antonio Dominguez-Meijide,
  • Antonio Dominguez-Meijide,
  • Diego Ploper,
  • Valeria Parrales,
  • Sabrina Sequeira,
  • Maria-Sol Cima-Omori,
  • Markus Zweckstetter,
  • Markus Zweckstetter,
  • Elaine Del Bel,
  • Patrick P. Michel,
  • Tiago Fleming Outeiro,
  • Tiago Fleming Outeiro,
  • Tiago Fleming Outeiro,
  • Rita Raisman-Vozari,
  • Rosana Chehín,
  • Sergio B. Socias

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.635760
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders with increasing incidence and still without cure. The extensive time required for development and approval of novel therapeutics highlights the need for testing and repurposing known safe molecules. Since doxycycline impacts α-synuclein aggregation and toxicity, herein we tested its effect on tau. We found that doxycycline reduces amyloid aggregation of the 2N4R and K18 isoforms of tau protein in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in a cell free system doxycycline also prevents tau seeding and in cell culture reduces toxicity of tau aggregates. Overall, our results expand the spectrum of action of doxycycline against aggregation-prone proteins, opening novel perspectives for its repurposing as a disease-modifying drug for tauopathies.

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