Takumi Satoh

  • Research

    Dr. Satoh studies PEDs: Pro-Electrophilic Drugs as Drug Candidates for the Brain

  • Biography

    Dr. Satoh received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University, Japan.

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Takumi Satoh's Research Focus

Alzheimer's Disease, Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Diseases, Aging-Related Diseases

Dr. Satoh has studied the technology based on the discovery of naturally-occuring molecules with activity against oxidative/ER stress-related injury in the CNS by activating the Keap1/Nrf2 and HSP90/HSF-1 pathways. His study targets Age-related Macular Degeneration and secondly targets Alzheimer's disease.

Takumi Satoh's Research Report

Takumi Satoh

A novel aspect of the proposal is that the compounds will be "pro-electrophilic" and converted to become "electrophilic" through auto-oxidation. These pro-electrophilic compounds should manifest protective effects on eyes and brain with very few side effects. Importantly, these compounds are not themselves electrophilic until they become electrophilic through auto-oxidation. Because of these pro-electophilic properties, we termed these agents Pro-Electrophilic Drugs (PEDs).

Redox stress is thought to contribute to neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinsons's diseases. With prolonged oxidative stress, cells mount a 'counterattack' to activate transcription-dependent pathways, including the Keap1/Nrf2 and HSP90/HSF-1 pathways, which induce phase 2 enzymes and heat-shock proteins, respectively. PEDs have been shown to signal an "electrophilic counterattack," binding to specific cysteines of Keap1 and HSP90 to activate these pathways.

Further, we studied novel pro-electrophilic drugs (PEDs) that are activated by the very oxidative/nitrosative stress that they subsequently counteract. One example is carnosic acid (CA), found in the herb rosemary. CA itself is not electrophilic, but in response to oxidation becomes electrophilic, and then activates the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway. PEDs appear to have minimal side effects, in part because they are generated preferentially in cells experienceing oxidative stress.

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