β2-Adrenoceptor Modulation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Summary
β2-adrenoceptors are membrane-bound receptors responsive to endogenous catecholamines and play a pivotal role in both neuronal signalling and glial cell modulation. In neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, pathological protein aggregation, chronic neuroinflammation and progressive neuronal loss drive irreversible functional decline. Preclinical investigations have revealed that activation of β2-adrenoceptors on microglia shifts their phenotype from proinflammatory to neuroprotective, reducing release of cytotoxic mediators and attenuating dopaminergic neuron degeneration. In parallel, population-level analyses indicate that pharmacological blockade of β2-adrenoceptors correlates with heightened disease risk, whereas enhanced receptor expression is linked to decreased incidence of Parkinson’s disease. These convergent findings have spurred translational efforts to repurpose long-acting β2-agonists and to refine ligand selectivity, aiming to maximise central efficacy while minimising systemic side effects. Given the urgent global need for disease-modifying treatments, β2-adrenoceptor modulation emerges as a promising strategy that bridges molecular mechanisms and clinical outcomes.
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β2-Adrenoceptor Modulation in Neurodegenerative Disorders publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in β2-adrenoceptor modulation in neurodegenerative disorders across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
β2-adrenoceptor: A G protein-coupled receptor on neurons and glial cells that mediates responses to adrenaline and noradrenaline.
Agonist: A molecule that binds to and activates a receptor, mimicking the action of the natural ligand.
Antagonist: A molecule that binds to a receptor without activating it, thereby blocking or dampening the effect of agonists.
Microglia: Resident immune cells of the central nervous system that orchestrate inflammatory and repair processes.
Mendelian randomisation: A genetic epidemiology method using inherited variants as proxies to infer causality between an exposure and an outcome.
References
- Nonselective beta-adrenoceptor blocker use and risk of Parkinson’s disease: from multiple real-world evidence. BMC Medicine (2023).
- Potential Benefits of Therapeutic Use of β2‐Adrenergic Receptor Agonists in Neuroprotection and Parkinson’s Disease. Journal of Immunology Research (2014).
- Association between β2-Adrenoreceptor Medications and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis. Medicina (2021).
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