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

Parkinson's disease is characterized by a loss of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons. This neuronal loss is mimicked by the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). MPP+ toxicity is mediated through inhibition of mitochondrial complex I, decreasing ATP production, and upregulation of oxygen radicals. There is evidence that the cell death induced by MPP+ is apoptotic and that inhibition of caspases may be neuroprotective. In primary cultures of rat mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons, MPP+ treatment decreased the number of surviving dopaminergic neurons in the cultures and the ability of the neurons to take up [3H]dopamine ([3H]DA). Caspase inhibition using the broad-spectrum inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-fmk) spared MPP+-treated dopaminergic neurons and increased somatic size. There was a partial restoration of neurite length in zVAD-fmk-treated cultures, but little restoration of [3H]DA uptake. Peptide inhibitors of caspases 2, 3, and 9, but not of caspase 1, caused significant neuroprotection. Two novel caspase inhibitors were tested for neuroprotection, a broad spectrum inhibitor and a selective caspase 3 inhibitor; both inhibitors increased survival to >90% of control. No neuroprotection was observed with an inactive control compound. MPP+ treatment caused chromatin condensation in dopaminergic neurons and increased expression of activated caspase 3. Inhibition of caspases with either zVAD-fmk or a selective caspase 3 inhibitor decreased the number of apoptotic profiles, but not expression of the active caspase. We conclude that MPP+ toxicity in primary dopaminergic neurons involves activation of a pathway terminating in caspase 3 activation, but that other mechanisms may underlie the neurite loss.
 ...
PMID:Caspase inhibitors attenuate 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium toxicity in primary cultures of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. 1192 29

Mitochondrion is not only the major ATP manufacture center of animal cells, but also plays a key role, as a main switch, in the regulation of apoptos is. Opening of the mitochondrion permeability transition pore (MPTP), the life-or-death switch of cells, causes an increase of the permeability of mitochondrial membrane and the release of several types of apoptogenic factors from the intermembrane space, such as cytochrome c, apoptosis inducing factors (AIFs),procaspases and Ca(2+). These apoptotic factors can either activate caspases, the main member of apoptotic proteins, or destruct independently the intranuclear chromatin, or interact with other Ca(2+) -dependent proteins. These result in structural rupture and dysfunction of cells, and the cells are finally degraded into apoptotic bodies and died. Studies on the regulation mechanisms of mitochondrion in apoptosis will be of great value theoretically as well as potential practical usage in designing drugs for cancer, Parkinson's disease and so on, using mitochondria as targets. To understand the key role of the mitochondrion in the determination of life and death of the cells, recent findings in this field are reviewed in this article.
 ...
PMID:Mitochondrion and Apoptosis. 1205 81

The commonest mitochondrial diseases are probably those impairing the function of complex I of the respiratory electron transport chain. Such complex I impairment may contribute to various neurodegenerative disorders e.g. Parkinson's disease. In the following, using hepatocytes as a model cell, we have shown for the first time that the cytotoxicity caused by complex I inhibition by rotenone but not that caused by complex III inhibition by antimycin can be prevented by coenzyme Q (CoQ1) or menadione. Furthermore, complex I inhibitor cytotoxicity was associated with the collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. ROS scavengers or inhibitors of the mitochondrial permeability transition prevented cytotoxicity. The CoQ1 cytoprotective mechanism required CoQ1 reduction by DT-diaphorase (NQO1). Furthermore, the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels were restored at low CoQ1 concentrations (5 microM). This suggests that the CoQ1H2 formed by NQO1 reduced complex III and acted as an electron bypass of the rotenone block. However cytoprotection still occurred at higher CoQ1 concentrations (>10 microM), which were less effective at restoring ATP levels but readily restored the cellular cytosolic redox potential (i.e. lactate: pyruvate ratio) and prevented ROS formation. This suggests that CoQ1 or menadione cytoprotection also involves the NQO1 catalysed reoxidation of NADH that accumulates as a result of complex I inhibition. The CoQ1H2 formed would then also act as a ROS scavenger.
 ...
PMID:Coenzyme Q cytoprotective mechanisms for mitochondrial complex I cytopathies involves NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1). 1206 6

There is growing evidence that suggests that brain injury after amphetamine and methamphetamine (METH) administration is due to an increase in free radical formation and mitochondrial damage, which leads to a failure of cellular energy metabolism followed by a secondary excitotoxicity. Neuronal degeneration caused by drugs of abuse is also associated with decreased ATP synthesis. Defective mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and metabolic compromise also play an important role in atherogenesis, in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and aging. The energy deficits in the central nervous system can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species as indicated by increased activity of the free radical scavenging enzymes like catalase and superoxide dismutase. The METH-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity may be mediated by the generation of peroxynitrite and can be protected by antioxidants selenium, melatonin, and selective nNOS inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole. L-Carnitine (LC) is well known to carry long-chain fatty acyl groups into mitochondria for beta-oxidation. It also plays a protective role in 3-nitropropioinc acid (3-NPA)-induced neurotoxicity as demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. LC has also been utilized in detoxification efforts in fatty acid-related metabolic disorders. In this study we have tested the hypothesis that enhancement of mitochondrial energy metabolism by LC could prevent the generation of peroxynitrite and free radicals produced by METH. Adult male C57BL/6N mice were divided into four groups. Group I served as control. Groups III and IV received LC (100 mg/kg, orally) for one week. Groups II and IV received 4 x 10 mg/kg METH i.p. at 2-h intervals after one week of LC administration. LC treatment continued for one more week to groups III and IV. One week after METH administration, mice were sacrificed by decapitation, and striatum was dissected to measure the formation of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) by HPLC/Coularry system. METH treatment produced significant formation of 3-NT, a marker of peroxynitrite generation, in mice striatum. The pre- and post-treatment of mice with LC significantly attenuated the production of 3-NT in the striatum resulting from METH treatment. The protective effects by the compound LC in this study could be related to the prevention of the possible metabolic compromise by METH and the resulting energy deficits that lead to the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. These data further confirm our hypothesis that METH-induced neurotoxicity is mediated by the production of peroxynitrite, and LC may reduce the peroxynitrite levels and protect against the underlying mechanism of METH toxicity, which are models for several neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease.
 ...
PMID:The protective role of L-carnitine against neurotoxicity evoked by drug of abuse, methamphetamine, could be related to mitochondrial dysfunction. 1210 98

This review aims to summarize the basic research in the field of intermittent hypoxia in the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that scientists in other Western countries may not be familiar with, since Soviet scientists were essentially cut off from the global scientific community for about 60 years. In the 1930s the concept of repeated hypoxic training was developed and the following induction methods were utilized: repeated stays at high-mountain camps for several weeks, regular high altitude flights by plane, training in altitude chambers, and training by inhalation of low-oxygen-gas mixtures. To the present day, intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) has been used extensively for altitude preacclimatization; for the treatment of a variety of clinical disorders, including chronic lung diseases, bronchial asthma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, emotional disorders, and radiation toxicity, in prophylaxis of certain occupational diseases; and in sports. The basic mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of IHT are mainly in three areas: regulation of respiration, free-radical production, and mitochondrial respiration. It was found that IHT induces increased ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia, as well as other hypoxia-related physiological changes, such as increased hematopoiesis, alveolar ventilation and lung diffusion capacity, and alterations in the autonomic nervous system. Due to IHT, antioxidant defense mechanisms are stimulated, cellular membranes become more stable, Ca(2+) elimination from the cytoplasm is increased, and O(2) transport in tissues is improved. IHT induces changes within mitochondria, involving NAD-dependent metabolism, that increase the efficiency of oxygen utilization in ATP production. These effects are mediated partly by NO-dependent reactions. The marked individual variability both in animals and humans in the response to, and tolerance of, hypoxia is described. Studies from the Soviet Union and the CIS significantly contributed to the understanding of intermittent hypoxia and its possible beneficial effects and should stimulate further research in this direction in other countries.
 ...
PMID:Intermittent hypoxia research in the former soviet union and the commonwealth of independent States: history and review of the concept and selected applications. 1216 64

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a condition where previous exposure to hydrophobic organic solvents or pesticides appears to render people hypersensitive to a wide range of chemicals, including organic solvents. The hypersensitivity is often exquisite, with MCS individuals showing sensitivity that appears to be at least two orders of magnitude greater than that of normal individuals. This paper presents a plausible set of interacting mechanisms to explain such heightened sensitivity. It is based on two earlier theories of MCS: the elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite theory and the neural sensitization theory. It is also based on evidence implicating excessive NMDA activity in MCS. Four sensitization mechanisms are proposed to act synergistically, each based on known physiological mechanisms: Nitric oxide-mediated stimulation of neurotransmitter (glutamate) release; peroxynitrite-mediated ATP depletion and consequent hypersensitivity of NMDA receptors; peroxynitrite-mediated increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier, producing increased accessibility of organic chemicals to the central nervous system; and nitric oxide inhibition of cytochrome P450 metabolism. Evidence for each of these mechanisms, which may also be involved in Parkinson's disease, is reviewed. These interacting mechanisms provide explanations for diverse aspects of MCS and a framework for hypothesis-driven MCS research.
 ...
PMID:NMDA sensitization and stimulation by peroxynitrite, nitric oxide, and organic solvents as the mechanism of chemical sensitivity in multiple chemical sensitivity. 1220 32

It is anticipated that further understanding of the protective mechanism induced by ischemic preconditioning will improve prognosis for patients of ischemic injury. It is not known whether preconditioning exerts beneficial actions in neurodegenerative diseases, in which ischemic injury plays a causative role. Here we show that transient activation of ATP-sensitive potassium channels, a trigger in ischemic preconditioning signaling, confers protection in PC12 cells and SH-SY5Y cells against neurotoxic effect of rotenone and MPTP, mitochondrial complex I inhibitors that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. The degree of protection is in proportion to the bouts of exposure to an ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener, a feature reminiscent of ischemic tolerance in vivo. Protection is sensitive to a protein synthesis inhibitor, indicating the involvement of de novo protein synthesis in the protective processes. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with preconditioning stimuli FeSO(4) or xanthine/xanthine oxidase also confers protection against rotenone-induced cell death. Our results demonstrate for the first time the protective role of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in a dopaminergic neuronal cell line against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity and conceptually support the view that ischemic preconditioning-derived therapeutic strategies may have potential and feasibility in therapy for Parkinson's disease.
 ...
PMID:Activation of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channels confers protection against rotenone-induced cell death: therapeutic implications for Parkinson's disease. 1221 Aug 49

Mn is a neurotoxin that leads to a syndrome resembling Parkinson's disease after prolonged exposure to high concentrations. Our laboratory has been investigating the mechanism by which Mn induces neuronal cell death. To accomplish this, we have utilized rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells as a model since they possess much of the biochemical machinery associated with dopaminergic neurons. Mn, like nerve growth factor (NGF), can induce neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells but Mn-induced cell differentiation is dependent on its interaction with the cell surface integrin receptors and basement membrane proteins, vitronectin or fibronectin. Similar to NGF, Mn-induced neurite outgrowth is dependent on the phosphorylation and activation of the MAP kinases, ERK1 and 2 (p44/42). Unlike NGF, Mn is also cytotoxic having an IC50 value of approximately 600 microM. Although many apoptotic signals are turned on by Mn, cell death is caused ultimately by disruption of mitochondrial function leading to loss of ATP. RT-PCR and immunoblotting studies suggest that some uptake of Mn into PC12 cells depends on the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1). DMT1 exists in two isoforms resulting from alternate splicing of a single gene product with one of the two mRNA species containing an iron response element (IRE) motif downstream from the stop codon. The presence of the IRE provides a binding site for the iron response proteins (IRP1 and 2); binding of either of these proteins could stabilize DMT1 mRNA and would increase expression of the +IRE form of the transporter. Iron and Mn compete for transport into PC12 cells via DMT1, so removal of iron from the culture media enhances Mn toxicity. The two isoforms of DMT1 (+/-IRE) are distributed in different subcellular compartments with the -IRE species selectively present in the nucleus of neuronal and neuronal-like cells.
 ...
PMID:Mechanisms of manganese-induced rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell death and cell differentiation. 1222 55

Abnormal accumulation of Ca2+ and exposure to pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, is believed to stimulate mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and contribute to neural cell death during acute ischemic and traumatic brain injury, and in neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. Parkinson's disease. However, the mechanism by which Ca2+ or apoptotic proteins stimulate mitochondrial ROS production is unclear. We used a sensitive fluorescent probe to compare the effects of Ca2+ on H2O2 emission by isolated rat brain mitochondria in the presence of physiological concentrations of ATP and Mg2+ and different respiratory substrates. In the absence of respiratory chain inhibitors, Ca2+ suppressed H2O2 generation and reduced the membrane potential of mitochondria oxidizing succinate, or glutamate plus malate. In the presence of the respiratory chain Complex I inhibitor rotenone, accumulation of Ca2+ stimulated H2O2 production by mitochondria oxidizing succinate, and this stimulation was associated with release of mitochondrial cytochrome c. In the presence of glutamate plus malate, or succinate, cytochrome c release and H2O2 formation were stimulated by human recombinant full-length Bax in the presence of a BH3 cell death domain peptide. These results indicate that in the presence of ATP and Mg2+, Ca2+ accumulation either inhibits or stimulates mitochondrial H2O2 production, depending on the respiratory substrate and the effect of Ca2+ on the mitochondrial membrane potential. Bax plus a BH3 domain peptide stimulate H2O2 production by brain mitochondria due to release of cytochrome c and this stimulation is insensitive to changes in membrane potential.
 ...
PMID:Regulation of hydrogen peroxide production by brain mitochondria by calcium and Bax. 1235 46

Ubiquitylated protein aggregates are characteristic features of neurodegenerative disorders that are also found in acute pathological states of the brain such as stroke. Many of the proteins connected to neurodegenerative diseases play a role in the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway. Mutation of one of these proteins, the E3 ubiquitin ligase parkin, is the cause of autosomal recessive juvenile Parkinson's disease. Here we show that transient focal cerebral ischemia of 1-h duration induces marked depletion of parkin protein levels, to 60%, 36%, 33%, and 25% of controls after 1, 3, 6, and 24 h of reperfusion, but that ischemia does not cause lower protein levels of E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes Ubc6, Ubc7, or Ubc9. After 3 h of reperfusion, when parkin protein levels were already reduced to <40% of control, ATP levels were almost completely recovered from ischemia and we did not observe DNA fragmentation, suggesting that parkin depletion preceded development of neuronal cell death. Up-regulation of the expression of parkin has been shown to protect cells from injury induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction, and this form of cellular stress is also triggered by transient cerebral ischemia. However, in contrast to observations in neuroblastoma cells, we saw no up-regulation of parkin expression in primary neuronal cell cultures after induction of ER dysfunction. Our data thus suggest that ischemia-induced depletion of parkin protein may contribute to the pathological process resulting in cell injury by increasing the sensitivity of neurons to ER dysfunction and the aggregation of ubiquitylated proteins during the reperfusion period.
 ...
PMID:Down-regulation of parkin protein in transient focal cerebral ischemia: A link between stroke and degenerative disease? 1241 19


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>