Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Assessing Iron Deposition in the Brains of 5xFAD Mice by Perls'/DAB Staining
Published on: May 23, 2025
Current status of metals as therapeutic targets in Alzheimer's disease
Anne E Finefrock1, Ashley I Bush, P Murali Doraiswamy
1Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Abstract:
There is accumulating evidence that interactions between beta-amyloid and copper, iron, and zinc are associated with the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A significant dyshomeostasis of copper, iron, and zinc has been detected, and the mismanagement of these metals induces beta-amyloid precipitation and neurotoxicity. Chelating agents offer a potential therapeutic solution to the neurotoxicity induced by copper and iron dyshomeostasis. Currently, the copper and zinc chelating agent clioquinol represents a potential therapeutic route that may not only inhibit beta-amyloid neurotoxicity, but may also reverse the accumulation of neocortical beta-amyloid. A Phase II double-blind clinical trial of clioquinol with B12 supplementation will be published soon, and the results are promising. This article summarizes the role of transition metals in amyloidgenesis and reviews the potential promise of chelation therapy as a treatment for AD.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is critical for...
Long-term Depression
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over time, all...