Home › Research › Inflammation and the immune system
A Perspective on Nrf2 Signaling Pathway for Neuroinflammation: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases
Saha S, Buttari B, Profumo E, Tucci P, Saso L.. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 2022-01-21
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Neuroinflammation plays a pivotal role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), the leading causes of dementia. These neurological disorders are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins such as amyloid-ß (Aß), tau protein and α-synuclein, contributing to mitochondrial fragmentation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Misfolded proteins activate microglia, which induces neuroinflammation, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and subsequently facilitates synaptic damage and neuronal loss.
Key findings
- These neurological disorders are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins such as amyloid-ß (Aß), tau protein and α-synuclein, contributing to mitochondrial fragmentation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation.
- Misfolded proteins activate microglia, which induces neuroinflammation, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and subsequently facilitates synaptic damage and neuronal loss.
- So far, all the proposed drugs were based on the inhibition of protein aggregation and were failed in clinical trials.
- Therefore, the treatment options of dementia are still a challenging issue.
Why it matters
This perspective describes neuroinflammation as playing a pivotal role in Alzheimer's disease and notes that misfolded proteins activate microglia, leading to synaptic damage and neuronal loss. It states that all proposed drugs so far were based on inhibiting protein aggregation and that targeting the Nrf2 signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic approach.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in cellular neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience: journal h-index 175 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 205 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 29.3 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 140 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Luciano Saso: h-index 75 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Sapienza University of Rome: institution h-index 1,145 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 35126058) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.787258
- PubMed: 35126058
- Original source →
- Free full text: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Saha, S., Buttari, B., Profumo, E., Tucci, P., & Saso, L. (2021). A Perspective on Nrf2 Signaling Pathway for Neuroinflammation: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.787258
Vancouver
Saha S, Buttari B, Profumo E, Tucci P, Saso L. A Perspective on Nrf2 Signaling Pathway for Neuroinflammation: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience. 2021. doi:10.3389/fncel.2021.787258. PMID: 35126058.
BibTeX
@article{saha2021-35126058,
author = {Saha, S. and Buttari, B. and Profumo, E. and Tucci, P. and Saso, L.},
title = {{A Perspective on Nrf2 Signaling Pathway for Neuroinflammation: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases}},
journal = {Frontiers in cellular neuroscience},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3389/fncel.2021.787258},
pmid = {35126058},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.787258}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
2 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Inflammation and the immune system
Also tagged “mice”
1,150 studies in the library carry the topic tag “mice”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,150 tagged studies.