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Tetracycline treatment in patients with progressive external ophthalmoplegia

2011; Wiley; Volume: 124; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1600-0404.2011.01536.x

1600-0404

Michelangelo Mancuso, Daniele Orsucci, Valeria Calsolaro, Annalisa LoGerfo, Luca Allegrini, Lucia Petrozzi, Costanza Simoncini, Anna Rocchi, Fausto Trivella, Luigi Murri, Gabriele Siciliano,

Neurological Complications and Syndromes

Mancuso M, Orsucci D, Calsolaro V, LoGerfo A, Allegrini L, Petrozzi L, Simoncini C, Rocchi A, Trivella F, Murri L, Siciliano G.Tetracycline treatment in patients with progressive external ophthalmoplegia.Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 124: 417–423.© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Background – Tetracyclines could have neuroprotective effects in neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders. Aims of the study and methods – Objective of this double-blind randomized pilot study (followed by an adjunctive open-label phase) was to evaluate whether tetracycline (500 mg/day × 14 days/month × 3 months) could be useful in patients (n = 16) with progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO). Results – Our results do not formally support any effect of tetracycline on eye motility in PEO. However, some possible protective effects could not be completely ruled out, i.e. a further analysis suggests a possible difference between the tetracycline group and the placebo group, significant at least for oblique motility, when comparing the ratio between the end of the double-blind phase and baseline. Tetracycline could modify some oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with PEO. Conclusions – Further studies are needed to confirm such effects of tetracycline in patients with PEO, if any, and to clarify the mechanisms of action for antioxidant effects of tetracyclines in mitochondrial disorders and other diseases.