Progress and Prospects in Parkinson's Research/Therapy/Neuroprotection/Quinoxaline

"The antioxidant properties of quinoxaline have yet to be evaluated fully"

Background
Quinoxaline (NBQX)is also called a benzopyrazine, in organic chemistry, and is a heterocyclic compound containing a ring complex made up of a benzene ring and a pyrazine ring. It is isomeric with quinazoline, phthalazine and cinnoline.

Research
2009

Faust et al  carried out a series of tests on fruit flies.

''In the present study, a Drosophila DJ-1A model of PD was used to test potential neuroprotective drugs. The drugs applied are the Chinese herb celastrol, the antibiotic minocycline, the bioenergetic amine coenzyme Q10 (coQ10), and the glutamate antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo[f]-quinoxaline (NBQX). All of these drugs target pathogenic processes implicated in PD, thus constitute mechanism-based treatment strategies. We show that celastrol and minocycline, both having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, confer potent dopaminergic neuroprotection in Drosophila DJ-1A model, while coQ10 shows no protective effect. NBQX exerts differential effects on cell survival and brain dopamine content: it protects against DN loss but fails to restore brain dopamine level.''