Tumor necrosis factor a Inhibition for Alzheimer's Disease

Tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-alpha) plays a central role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Food and Drug Administration-approved biologic TNF-alpha inhibitors are thus a potential treatment for AD, but they do not cross the blood-brain barrier. In this short review, we discuss the involvement of TNF-alpha in AD, challenges associated with the development of existing biologic TNF-alpha inhibitors for AD, and potential therapeutic strategies for targeting TNF-a for AD therapy.