Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0030567 (Parkinson's disease)
 63,064 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Riluzole is neuroprotective in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and may also protect dopamine (DA) neurons in Parkinson's disease. We examined the neuroprotective potential of riluzole on DA neurons using primary rat mesencephalic cultures and human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Riluzole (up to 10 microM:) alone affected neither the survival of DA neurons in primary cultures nor the growth of SH-SY5Y cells after up to 72 h. Riluzole (1-10 microM:) dose-dependently reduced DA cell loss caused by exposure to MPP(+) in both types of cultures. These protective effects were accompanied by a dose-dependent decrease of intracellular ATP depletion caused by MPP(+) (30-300 microM:) in SH-SY5Y cells without affecting intracellular net NADH content, suggesting a reduction of cellular ATP consumption rather than normalization of mitochondrial ATP production. Riluzole (1-10 microM:) also attenuated oxidative injury in both cell types induced by exposure to L-DOPA and 6-hydroxydopamine, respectively. Consistent with its antioxidative effects, riluzole reduced lipid peroxidation induced by Fe(3+) and L-DOPA in primary mesencephalic cultures. Riluzole (10 microM) did not alter high-affinity uptake of either DA or MPP(+). However, in the same cell systems, riluzole induced neuronal and glial cell death with concentrations higher than those needed for maximal protective effects (> or =100 microM:). These data demonstrate that riluzole has protective effects on DA neurons in vitro against neuronal injuries induced by (a) impairment of cellular energy metabolism and/or (b) oxidative stress. These results provide further impetus to explore the neuroprotective potential of riluzole in Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Protective effects of riluzole on dopamine neurons: involvement of oxidative stress and cellular energy metabolism. 1108 Jan 77

Unilateral injection into the right substantia nigra of the catecholaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) produces extensive loss of dopaminergic cells ('hemi-parkinsonian rat'). The pineal hormone melatonin, which is a potent antioxidant against different reactive oxygen species and has been reported to be neuroprotective in vivo and in vitro, was evaluated for potential anti-Parkinson effects in this model. Imbalance in dopaminergic innervation between the striata produced by intranigral administration of 6-OHDA results in a postural asymmetry causing rotation away from the nonlesioned side. Melatonin given systemically prevented apomorphine-induced circling behavior in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Reduced activity of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation enzymes has been suggested in some neurodegenerative diseases; in particular, selective decrease in complex I activity is observed in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease patients. Analysis of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation enzyme activities in nigral tissue from 6-OHDA-lesioned rats by a novel BN-PAGE histochemical procedure revealed a clear loss of complex I activity, which was protected against in melatonin-treated animals. A good correlation between behavioral parameters and enzymatic (complex I) analysis was observed independent of melatonin administration. A deficit in mitochondrial complex I could conceivably contribute to cell death in parkinsonism via free radical mechanisms, both directly via reactive oxygen species production and by decreased ATP synthesis and energy failure. Melatonin may have potential utility in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders where oxidative stress is a participant.
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PMID:Melatonin protects against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in rats: a role for mitochondrial complex I activity. 1114 4

Caspase-8 is a proximal effector protein of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family death pathway. In the present human postmortem study, we observed a significantly higher percentage of dopaminergic (DA) substantia nigra pars compacta neurons that displayed caspase-8 activation in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared with controls. In an in vivo experimental PD model, namely subchronically 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-treated mice, we also show that caspase-8 is indeed activated after exposure to this toxin early in the course of cell demise, suggesting that caspase-8 activation precedes and is not the consequence of cell death. However, cotreatment of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-intoxicated primary DA cultures with broad-spectrum and specific caspase-8 inhibitors did not result in neuroprotection but seemed to trigger a switch from apoptosis to necrosis. We propose that this effect is related to ATP depletion and suggest that the use of caspase inhibitors in pathologies linked to intracellular energy depletion, such as PD, should be cautiously evaluated.
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PMID:Caspase-8 is an effector in apoptotic death of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease, but pathway inhibition results in neuronal necrosis. 1126

Naturally occurring neurotoxins, 6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (DHTIQs), thought to be the causative agents of Parkinsonism. DHTIQs including norsalsolinol have been found in the mammalian central nervous system. Norsalsolinol can be formed by a non-enzymatic Pictet-Spengler condensation reaction between dopamine and formaldehyde, and has been detected in the urine of Parkinsonian patients. However, the effects of DHTIQs on the secretion of dopamine, as well as other neurotransmitters, are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of norsalsolinol on dopamine secretion from nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells. Norsalsolinol (1-100 microM) pretreatment suppressed both ATP (100 microM)- and K(+) (50 mM)-induced dopamine secretion from PC12 cells in a concentration-dependent fashion, but did not affect basal dopamine secretion. In beta-escin-permeabilized PC12 cells, norsalsolinol pretreatment suppressed Ca(2+) (pCa=4-8)-induced dopamine secretion, but did not inhibit the secretagogue-induced change in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. These results suggest that norsalsolinol causes the inhibition of secretagogue-induced dopamine secretion from PC12 cells without altering intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. Inhibition of dopamine secretion by norsalsolinol may also be involved in postural abnormality in Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Inhibitory effects of endogenous dopaminergic neurotoxin, norsalsolinol on dopamine secretion in PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. 1129 Mar 81

Decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(M)) has been found in a variety of aging cell types from several mammalian species. The physiological significance and mechanisms of the decreased DeltaPsi(M) in aging are not well understood. This review considers the generation of DeltaPsi(M) and its role in ATP generation together with factors that modify DeltaPsi(M) with emphasis on mitochondrial membrane permeability, particularly the role of a multiprotein membrane megapore, the mitochondrial permeability transition pore complex (PTPC). Previous data showing decreased DeltaPsi(M) in aged cells is considered in relation to the methods available to estimate DeltaPsi(M). In the past the majority of studies used whole cell rhodamine 123 fluorescence to estimate DeltaPsi(M) in lymphocytes from mice or rats. Imaging of DeltaPsi(M) in living, in situ mitochondria using laser confocal scanning microscopy offers advantages over whole cell measurements or those from isolated mitochondria, particularly if several different potentiometric dyes are employed. Furthermore, high resolution imaging of the newer fixable potentiometric dyes allows immunocytochemistry for specific proteins and DeltaPsi(M) to be examined in the same cells or even the same mitochondria. We found that decreased DeltaPsi(M) in p53 overexpression-induced or naturally occurring senescence is associated with decreased responsiveness of the PTPC to agents that induce either its opening or closing. The decreased PTPC responsiveness seems to reflect, at least in part, decreased levels of a key PTPC protein, the adenine nucleotide translocase. We also consider the possible basis for decreased DeltaPsi(M) in fibroblasts from patients with Parkinson's disease, an age-related neurodegenerative disease. Finally, we speculate on the mechanisms and functional significance of decreased DeltaPsi(M) in aging.
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PMID:Mitochondrial membrane potential in aging cells. 1135 Nov 27

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP, EC 2.4.2.30) is known as a nuclear enzyme that is activated by DNA strand breaks to participate in DNA repair. It is also called poly(ADP-ribose) synthase (PARS) or poly(ADP-ribose) transferase (PADRT). In physiological conditions, PARP plays an important role in maintaining genomic stability. However, for several pathological situations, which include massive DNA injury (brain ischemia for example), excessive activation of PARP can deplete stores of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), the PARP substrate, which, with the subsequent ATP depletion, leads to cell death. PARP activation appears to play a major role in neuronal death induced by cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson disease and other pathologies. PARP inhibitors (3-aminobenzamide and other compounds) and PARP gene deletion induced dramatic neuroprotection in experimental animals (rats, mice). Accordingly, these data suggest that PARP inhibitors could provide a novel therapeutic approach in a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders including cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury.
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PMID:[Neuronal death: potential role of the nuclear enzyme, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase]. 1150 Dec 63

Ketosis, meaning elevation of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate (R-3hydroxybutyrate) and acetoacetate, has been central to starving man's survival by providing nonglucose substrate to his evolutionarily hypertrophied brain, sparing muscle from destruction for glucose synthesis. Surprisingly, D-beta-hydroxybutyrate (abbreviated "betaOHB") may also provide a more efficient source of energy for brain per unit oxygen, supported by the same phenomenon noted in the isolated working perfused rat heart and in sperm. It has also been shown to decrease cell death in two human neuronal cultures, one a model of Alzheimer's and the other of Parkinson's disease. These observations raise the possibility that a number of neurologic disorders, genetic and acquired, might benefit by ketosis. Other beneficial effects from betaOHB include an increased energy of ATP hydrolysis (deltaG') and its linked ionic gradients. This may be significant in drug-resistant epilepsy and in injury and anoxic states. The ability of betaOHB to oxidize co-enzyme Q and reduce NADP+ may also be important in decreasing free radical damage. Clinical maneuvers for increasing blood levels of betaOHB to 2-5 mmol may require synthetic esters or polymers of betaOHB taken orally, probably 100 to 150 g or more daily. This necessitates advances in food-science technology to provide at least enough orally acceptable synthetic material for animal and possibly subsequent clinical testing. The other major need is to bring the technology for the analysis of multiple metabolic "phenotypes" up to the level of sophistication of the instrumentation used, for example, in gene science or in structural biology. This technical strategy will be critical to the characterization of polygenic disorders by enhancing the knowledge gained from gene analysis and from the subsequent steps and modifications of the protein products themselves.
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PMID:Ketone bodies, potential therapeutic uses. 1156 18

In mammalian cells, mitochondria provide energy from aerobic metabolism. They play an important regulatory role in apoptosis, produce and detoxify free radicals, and serve as a cellular calcium buffer. Neurodegenerative disorders involving mitochondria can be divided into those caused by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) abnormalities either due to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) abnormalities, e.g., chronic external ophthalmoplegia, or due to nuclear mutations of OXPHOS proteins, e.g., complex I and II associated with Leigh syndrome. There are diseases caused by nuclear genes encoding non-OXPHOS mitochondrial proteins, such as frataxin in Friedreich ataxia (which is likely to play an important role in mitochondrial-cytosolic iron cycling), paraplegin (possibly a mitochondrial ATP-dependent zinc metalloprotease of the AAA-ATPases in hereditary spastic paraparesis), and possibly Wilson disease protein (an abnormal copper transporting ATP-dependent P-type ATPase associated with Wilson disease). Huntingon disease is an example of diseases with OXPHOS defects associated with mutations of nuclear genes encoding non-mitochondrial proteins such as huntingtin. There are also disorders with evidence of mitochondrial involvement that cannot as yet be assigned. These include Parkinson disease (where a complex I defect is described and free radicals are generated from dopamine metabolism), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer disease, where there is evidence to suggest mitochondrial involvement perhaps secondary to other abnormalities.
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PMID:Mitochondria and degenerative disorders. 1157 22

Free radicals and other so-called 'reactive species' are constantly produced in the brain in vivo. Some arise by 'accidents of chemistry', an example of which may be the leakage of electrons from the mitochondrial electron transport chain to generate superoxide radical (O2*-). Others are generated for useful purposes, such as the role of nitric oxide in neurotransmission and the production of O2*- by activated microglia. Because of its high ATP demand, the brain consumes O2 rapidly, and is thus susceptible to interference with mitochondrial function, which can in turn lead to increased O2*- formation. The brain contains multiple antioxidant defences, of which the mitochondrial manganese-containing superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione seem especially important. Iron is a powerful promoter of free radical damage, able to catalyse generation of highly reactive hydroxyl, alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxides, respectively. Although most iron in the brain is stored in ferritin, 'catalytic' iron is readily mobilised from injured brain tissue. Increased levels of oxidative damage to DNA, lipids and proteins have been detected by a range of assays in post-mortem tissues from patients with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and at least some of these changes may occur early in disease progression. The accumulation and precipitation of proteins that occur in these diseases may be aggravated by oxidative damage, and may in turn cause more oxidative damage by interfering with the function of the proteasome. Indeed, it has been shown that proteasomal inhibition increases levels of oxidative damage not only to proteins but also to other biomolecules. Hence, there are many attempts to develop antioxidants that can cross the blood-brain barrier and decrease oxidative damage. Natural antioxidants such as vitamin E (tocopherol), carotenoids and flavonoids do not readily enter the brain in the adult, and the lazaroid antioxidant tirilazad (U-74006F) appears to localise in the blood-brain barrier. Other antioxidants under development include modified spin traps and low molecular mass scavengers of O2*-. One possible source of lead compounds is the use of traditional remedies claimed to improve brain function. Little is known about the impact of dietary antioxidants upon the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease. Several agents already in therapeutic use might exert some of their effects by antioxidant action, including selegiline (deprenyl), apomorphine and nitecapone.
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PMID:Role of free radicals in the neurodegenerative diseases: therapeutic implications for antioxidant treatment. 1159 35

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been associated with Parkinson's disease. However, the role of mitochondrial defects in the formation of Lewy bodies, a pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease has not been addressed directly. In this report, we investigated the effects of inhibitors of the mitochondrial electron-transport chain on the aggregation of alpha-synuclein, a major protein component of Lewy bodies. Treatment with rotenone, an inhibitor of complex I, resulted in an increase of detergent-resistant alpha-synuclein aggregates and a reduction in ATP level. Another inhibitor of the electron-transport chain, oligomycin, also showed temporal correlation between the formation of aggregates and ATP reduction. Microscopic analyses showed a progressive evolution of small aggregates of alpha-synuclein to a large perinuclear inclusion body. The inclusions were co-stained with ubiquitin, 20 S proteasome, gamma-tubulin, and vimentin. The perinuclear inclusion bodies, but not the small cytoplasmic aggregates, were thioflavin S-positive, suggesting the amyloid-like conformation. Interestingly, the aggregates disappeared when the cells were replenished with inhibitor-free medium. Disappearance of aggregates coincided with the recovery of mitochondrial metabolism and was partially inhibited by proteasome inhibitors. These results suggest that the formation of alpha-synuclein inclusions could be initiated by an impaired mitochondrial function and be reversed by restoring normal mitochondrial metabolism.
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PMID:Formation and removal of alpha-synuclein aggregates in cells exposed to mitochondrial inhibitors. 1172 69


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