Description
Bexarotene is a retinoid compound that binds and activates retinoid X receptors (RXRs) and is approved to treat cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Bexarotene displays a wide variety of beneficial activities, such as anticancer chemotherapeutic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and neuroprotective properties. Bexarotene has shown pre-clinical and clinical efficacy in treatment of other cancers, increasing apoptosis and inducing tumor regression in vitro and in vivo. Bexarotene’s activation of RXRs also results in activation of PPARα signaling, decreasing triglyceride levels and increasing HDL cholesterol levels in vivo. This compound interacts with nuclear hormone receptor Nurr1-RXR heterodimers, reversing behavioral deficits induced by 6-OH DA in rat models of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, bexarotene activation of RXRs induces ApoE-dependent clearance of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and plaques, reversing cognitive deficits in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease.