Potassium channels: possible new therapeutic targets in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders and still remains incurable. New targets for potential pharmacological intervention should be explored and evaluated in order to slow down, delay or reverse the progress of this disease, and/or to avoid the serious side effects of levodopa praeparatum. Potassium (K+) channels widely express in basal ganglia and play crucial roles in the pathophysiology of PD, thereby raising their therapeutic application. Based on data from some pilot studies, we propose that K+ channels may provide possible new therapeutic targets for slowing down the progressive loss of dopamine neurons in PD. The most promising targets of K+ channels, including Kv, KATP, Kir, SK, and K2P channels, etc. deserve further pursuit for making comprehensive use of their novel therapeutic potential. Attempts to confirm this hypothesis may lead to new therapeutic strategy of PD.