中研院 薛一蘋: Clioquinol 治療自閉症 潛力《自然通訊》

基因研究－鋅離子改善自閉症 動物實驗證明 2015年06月04日 04:10 湯雅雯／台北報導 中央研究院分子生物研究所研究員薛一蘋研究團隊去年耗時9年，找到自閉症的關鍵基因，今年進一步證實增進鋅離子可改善自閉症，研究成果日前登上《自然通訊》期刊。薛一蘋表示，根據2011年國際知名期刊《科學報導》中的研究顯示，針對1967名自閉症兒童的頭髮進行分析，證實近3成自閉症兒童有鋅缺乏的情形。薛一蘋去年以動物模式證實肺結核藥物「D-環絲胺酸」，可有效治療自閉症小鼠後，昨再度發表抗生素「氯碘奎醇」（Cq），可抓住並載運鋅離子，糾正自閉症的基因缺陷。薛一蘋分析，這2種基因突變小鼠的共同特徵，就是神經細胞訊息傳導接觸後，離子通道（NMDAR）的活性會變差，施用抗生素氯碘奎醇（Cq）可以有效改善小鼠的社交行為缺陷，讓不喜歡接近新朋友的自閉症小鼠回復到野生型，變得喜歡交朋友。由於國內自閉症兒童比率越來越高，但目前自閉症仍無藥可醫，只能仰賴行為治療。薛一蘋表示，這項研究成果為自閉症臨床治療上與「鋅缺乏」的關連，未來提供可能的學理依據。她指出，海鮮類牡蠣與蛋白質高的肉類，都有助於幫助鋅離子吸收，可活化離子通道（NMDAR）活性低落的自閉症患者，但自閉症成因可分為5大類，鋅缺乏患者只占3成。最重要的還是依照病人不同病因對症下藥。

Clioquinol  Use in neurodegenerative diseases (WIKI) Research at UCSF indicates that clioquinol appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease in mice and in cell culture. Evidence from phase 2 clinical trials suggested that clioquinol could halt cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, possibly owing to its ability to act as a chelator for copper and zinc ions. This led to development of analogs including PBT2 as potential therapeutic compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Recent animal studies have shown that clioquinol can reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. According to Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and colleagues at McGill's Department of Biology, clioquinol acts directly on a protein called Clk-1, often informally called "clock-1," and might slow down the aging process. They theorize that this may explain the apparent ability of the drug to be effective in the above conditions, but warn against individuals experimenting with this drug.

Clioquinol (iodochlorhydroxyquin) is an antifungal drug and antiprotozoal drug. It is neurotoxic in large doses. It is a member of a family of drugs called hydroxyquinolines which inhibit certain enzymes related to DNA replication. The drugs have been found to have activity against both viral and protozoal infections.