Antioxidants and intracellular glutathione raising agents for therapeutic treatments

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for treating a disease or condition for which treatment involves the promotion of growth of neuronal cell processes and whose therapy comprises the administration of an agonist for neuronal cell surface receptors that promote outgrowth of neuronal processes said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of said agonist in combination with a therapeutically effective concentration of one or more antioxidants/free radical scavengers and/or an agent capable of raising intracellular thiol levels and/or a steroid. A representative intracellular thiol is glutathione, the agent capable of raising intracellular thiol levels is N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and representative antioxidantsfree radical scavengers may be selected from the group consisting of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, analogs thereof and mixtures thereof. A representative Vitamin E analog is trolox. In a particular embodiment, the steroid may be progesterone and the agonist for neuronal cell surface receptors that promote outgrowth of neuronal processes is an extracellular matrix molecule or active fragment thereof.