Conjecture for a free radical epimerization process in Alzheimer, Parkinson, Lewy body, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Creutzfeldt Jakob diseases.

Brain protease-resistant misfolded proteins have been described in Alzheimer (AD), Parkinson (PD), Lewy Body (LBD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Creutzfeldt Jakob (CJD) diseases. The role of free radicals in generating these protease resistant structures has been experimentally demonstrated in prion bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), when manganese is substituted for copper (Cu), in bovine brain homogenates in reductive medium, while Cu protective effect against free radicals can be restored by Cu supplementation in oxidative medium. These facts can suggest a free radical-induced epimerization process in neuroprotein misfolding leading to the transformation of physiological L-amino acid brain proteins into abnormal D-structures which will be deposited in the brain as observed in neurodegenerative diseased brains. A blood Cu increase, not ceruloplasmin (CP) bound correlated with a Cu increase in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a Cu decrease in the brain have been described in AD, PD, ALS, or CJD. This indicates that following neuronal death, Cu might be expelled from brain proteins and subsequent to redistribution between brain, CSF and blood, it will result a brain Cu deficiency and a decrease in Cu brain protection against free radicals. In the aim of repairing this deficiency and slow down the neurodegenerative disease process, a brain Cu complexes vectorization through the blood-brain barrier might restore brain Cu homeostasis.