The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling: a multifunctional target for neuroprotective and regenerative strategies in Parkinson's disease

Article type: PERSPECTIVE (No Abstract) Conclusions and remarks. In conclusion, as depicted in this work, the multifunctional nature of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway makes the targeting of this signaling one a highly attractive strategy to overcome the multifaceted feature of PD and for developing a disease-modifying therapy. As described above, multiple approaches can be followed to exploit the multifunctional properties of this signaling, including both pharmacological and cell-based therapies. The established role of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in adult neurogenesis, strengthens the chance that molecules targeting this signaling could be effective not only in contrasting the PD progression, but also in stimulating the endogenous neural stem cells niches and counteracting dopaminergic neuron loss. Additionally, secretome-based therapeutic strategies for PD could be made more effective by up-regulating, in vitro or in vivo, the canonical Wnt signaling in stem cells or glial cells.