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Calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis is essential for cell maintenance since this ion participates in many physiological processes. For example, the spatial and temporal organization of Ca2+ signaling in the central nervous system is fundamental for neurotransmission, where local changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration are needed to transmit information from neuron to neuron, between neurons and glia, and even regulating local blood flow according to the required activity. However, under pathological conditions, Ca2+ homeostasis is altered, with increased cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentrations leading to the activation of proteases, lipases, and nucleases. This review aimed to highlight the role of Ca2+ signaling in neurodegenerative disease-related apoptosis, where the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis depends on coordinated interactions between the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and lysosomes, as well as specific transport mechanisms. In neurodegenerative diseases, alterations-increased oxidative stress, energy metabolism alterations, and protein aggregation have been identified. The aggregation of α-synuclein, β-amyloid peptide (Aβ), and huntingtin all adversely affect Ca2+ homeostasis. Due to the mounting evidence for the relevance of Ca2+ signaling in neuroprotection, we would focus on the expression and function of Ca2+ signaling-related proteins, in terms of the effects on autophagy regulation and the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting 1.6% of people over 60 years old 1,2 . PD is also the most common cause of parkinsonism, corresponding to 74.7% of all cases in a Brazilian study 3 . The disease is characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), loss of their ascending projections to the striatum (caudate and putamen), and consequent decrease of striatal dopamine (DA) content, which leads to severe locomotion difficulties and cardinal motor symptoms such as tremor at rest, rigidity, postural instability and slowness of body movements (bradykinesia) 4,5 . By the time a patient is diagnosed, approximately 60% of SNpc neurons are degenerated and 80% of striatal DA content is depleted 4,5 . In addition to neuronal damage, PD is characterized by the presence of proteinaceous inclusions called Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, mainly in the SNpc 6 . Currently, the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments approved for PD offer only symptomatic relief for patients. As these treatments are not able to stop or reverse the neurodegenerative process, PD remains incurable. The motor symptoms can be reduced by many drugs that increase the DA level in the central nervous system (CNS) or mimic its effects. The gold standard for the treatment of PD nowadays is Levodopa, a DA precursor. Other drugs commonly prescribed are DA receptor agonists, monoaminoxidase (MAO) AbStrACtParkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 1.6% of the population over 60 years old. The cardinal motor symptoms are the result of progressive degeneration of substantia nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons which are involved in the fine motor control. Currently, there is no cure for this pathology and the cause of the neurodegeneration remains unknown. Several studies suggest the involvement of neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of PD as well as a protective effect of anti-inflammatory drugs both in animal models and epidemiological studies, although there are controversial reports. In this review, we address evidences of involvement of inflammatory process and possible therapeutic usefulness of anti-inflammatory drugs in PD.Keywords: Parkinson's disease, neuroinflammation, anti-inflammatory. ResumoA doença de Parkinson (DP) é a segunda doença neurodegenerativa mais comum afetando aproximadamente 1,6% da população acima de 60 anos de idade. Os sinais motores cardinais são o resultado da degeneração progressiva de neurônios dopaminérgicos da substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), a qual está intimamente envolvida com o controle motor. Atualmente, não há cura para esta patologia e a causa da neurodegeneração permanece desconhecida. Contudo, muitos estudos sugerem o envolvimento da neuroinflamação na patofisiologia da DP bem como um efeito protetor de drogas antiinflamatórias tanto em modelos animais quanto em estudos epidemiológicos, embora haja relatos controversos. ...