Figure 2.

Pathways of Aβ precursor protein (APP) processing and Aβ formation. Inhibition of β-secretase by pharmacological agents is at the center of drug discovery research for AD therapy. This could be achieved by small molecular weight compounds or an antibodies approach. Enhancing the activity of γ-secretase by pharmacological agents is another possibility, though it is a less popular strategy than β-secretase inhibition. Targeting soluble or aggregated Aβ by various agents is another approach being undertaken in AD drug discovery.