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)

Recent information suggests that free radicals are closely involved in the pathogenesis and/or progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). High-dose levodopa therapy has been suggested to increase oxidative stress, thereby accelerating the progression of PD. Based on this viewpoint, free radical scavenging, antioxidant and neuroprotective agents which may prevent the progression of PD have recently attracted considerable attention. For example, ergot derivative dopamine (DA) agonists have been reported to scavenge free radicals in vitro and show a neuroprotective effect in vivo. Non-ergot DA agonists have also recently been used in the treatment of PD despite the lack of substantial evidence for any free radical scavenging activity or antioxidant activity. The present study was conducted to assess the in vitro free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of ropinirole, a non-ergot DA agonist, as well as its glutathione (GSH), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activating effects and neuroprotective effect in vivo. Ropinirole scavenges free radicals and suppresses lipid peroxidation in vitro, but these activities are very weak, suggesting that the antioxidant effect of ropinirole observed in vitro may be a minor component of its neuroprotective effect in vivo. Administration of ropinirole for 7 days increased GSH, catalase and SOD activities in the striatum and protected striatal dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in mice. Pre-treatment with sulpiride prevented ropinirole from enhancing striatal GSH, catalase and SOD activities and abolished the protection of dopaminergic neurons against 6-OHDA. Our findings indicate that activation of GSH, catalase and SOD mediated via DA D2 receptors may be the principal mechanism of neuroprotection by ropinirole.
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PMID:Dopamine D2 receptor-mediated antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of ropinirole, a dopamine agonist. 1044 16

Both reactive dopamine metabolites and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in the neurodegeneration of Parkinson's disease. Dopamine metabolites, dopamine quinone and reactive oxygen species, can directly alter protein function by oxidative modifications, and several mitochondrial proteins may be targets of this oxidative damage. In this study, we examined, using isolated brain mitochondria, whether dopamine oxidation products alter mitochondrial function. We found that exposure to dopamine quinone caused a large increase in mitochondrial resting state 4 respiration. This effect was prevented by GSH but not superoxide dismutase and catalase. In contrast, exposure to dopamine and monoamine oxidase-generated hydrogen peroxide resulted in a decrease in active state 3 respiration. This inhibition was prevented by both pargyline and catalase. We also examined the effects of dopamine oxidation products on the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, which has been implicated in neuronal cell death. Dopamine oxidation to dopamine quinone caused a significant increase in swelling of brain and liver mitochondria. This was inhibited by both the pore inhibitor cyclosporin A and GSH, suggesting that swelling was due to pore opening and related to dopamine quinone formation. In contrast, dopamine and endogenous monoamine oxidase had no effect on mitochondrial swelling. These findings suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction induced by products of dopamine oxidation may be involved in neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease and methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity.
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PMID:Dopamine oxidation alters mitochondrial respiration and induces permeability transition in brain mitochondria: implications for Parkinson's disease. 1046 4

In this investigation, microdialysis has been used to study the effects of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and the active metabolite of the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), on extracellular concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (CySH) in the rat striatum and substantia nigra (SN). During perfusion of a neurotoxic concentration of MPP+ (2.5 mM) into the rat striatum or SN, extracellular concentrations of GSH and CySH remain at basal levels (both approximately 2 microM). However, when the perfusion is discontinued, a massive but transient release of GSH occurs, peaking at 5,000% of basal levels in the striatum and 2,000% of basal levels in the SN. The release of GSH is followed by a slightly delayed and smaller elevation of extracellular concentrations of CySH that can be blocked by the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT) inhibitor acivicin. Low-molecular-weight iron and extracellular hydroxyl radical (OH*) have been implicated as participants in the mechanism underlying the dopaminergic neurotoxicity of MPTP/MPP+. During perfusion of Fe2+ (OH*) into the rat striatum and SN, extracellular levels of GSH also remain at basal levels. When perfusions of Fe2+ are discontinued, a massive transient release of GSH occurs followed by a delayed, small, but progressive elevation of extracellular CySH level that again can be blocked by acivicin. Previous investigators have noted that extracellular concentrations of the excitatory/excitotoxic amino acid glutamate increase dramatically when perfusions of neurotoxic concentrations of MPP+ are discontinued. This observation and the fact that MPTP/MPP+ causes the loss of nigrostriatal GSH without corresponding increases of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and the results of the present investigation suggest that the release and gamma-GT/dipeptidase-mediated hydrolysis of GSH to glutamate, glycine, and CySH may be important factors involved with the degeneration of dopamine neurons. It is interesting that a very early event in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease is a massive loss of GSH in the SN pars compacta that is not accompanied by corresponding increases of GSSG levels. Based on the results of this and prior investigations, a new hypothesis is proposed that might contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the degeneration of dopamine neurons evoked by MPTP/MPP+, other agents that impair neuronal energy metabolism, and Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration, iron (II), and hydroxyl radical evoke release and extracellular hydrolysis of glutathione in rat striatum and substantia nigra: potential implications to Parkinson's disease. 1050 Dec 16

Tryptophan hydroxylase, the initial and rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin (5-HT), is inactivated by the quinone of L-DOPA. L-DOPA itself has no effect on enzyme activity. The inactivation of tryptophan hydroxylase could be prevented by glutathione (GSH), dithiothreitol, cysteine, and ascorbic acid but not by scavengers of hydrogen peroxide (catalase), hydroxyl radical (DMSO), or superoxide (superoxide dismutase). All cysteinyl residues within tryptophan hydroxylase are modified after treatment with L-DOPA-quinone as revealed by loss of DTNB-reactivity and formation of cysteinyl-DOPA residues. L-DOPA-quinone also converts tryptophan hydroxylase to a redox-cycling quinoprotein. These results suggest a possible mechanism of 5-HT neuronal damage in Parkinson's Disease by a redox-cycling quinoprotein.
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PMID:L-DOPA-quinone inactivates tryptophan hydroxylase and converts the enzyme to a redox-cycling quinoprotein. 1058

Altered glial function in the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease may lead to the release of toxic substances that cause dopaminergic cell death or increase neuronal vulnerability to neurotoxins. To investigate this concept, we examined the effects of subjecting astrocytes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation alone or combined with L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine-induced glutathione depletion or inhibition of complex I activity by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) on the viability of primary ventral mesencephalic neurones or susceptibility to MPP+ and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in co-cultures. LPS-activated astrocytes caused neuronal death in a time-dependent manner, but glutathione-depleted or complex I-inhibited astrocytes had no effect on neuronal viability. The neurotoxicity of LPS-activated astrocytes was inhibited by the inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor aminoguanidine, by the nitric oxide scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, and by reduced glutathione (GSH). MPP+-induced neuronal death was greater in ventral mesencephalic cultures previously cultured with LPS-activated, glutathione-depleted, or complex I-inhibited astrocytes compared with co-cultures containing normal astrocytes. The increased neuronal susceptibility to MPP+ caused by LPS-activated or complex I-inhibited astrocytes and glutathione-depleted astrocytes was inhibited by the NMDA/glutamate antagonist MK-801 and by GSH, respectively. Neuronal death caused by 6-OHDA was increased in ventral mesencephalic cultures previously cultured with LPS-activated and glutathione-depleted, but not complex I-inhibited astrocytes, compared with co-cultures containing normal astrocytes. Treatment of co-cultures with GSH prevented the increased neuronal susceptibility to 6-OHDA. These findings suggest that glial dysfunction may cause neuronal death or render neurones susceptible to toxic insults via a mechanism involving the release of free radicals and glutamate. Such a mechanism may play a role in the development or progression of nigrostriatal degeneration in Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Altered glial function causes neuronal death and increases neuronal susceptibility to 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium- and 6-hydroxydopamine-induced toxicity in astrocytic/ventral mesencephalic co-cultures. 1058 7

Glutathione deficiency has been associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases including Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease, and HIV. A crucial role for glutathione is as a free radical scavenger. Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain is characterized by oxidative stress, manifested by protein oxidation, lipid oxidation, oxidized glutathione, and decreased activity of glutathione S-transferase, among others. Reasoning that elevated levels of endogenous glutathione would offer protection against free radical-induced oxidative stress, rodents were given in vivo injections of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a known precursor of glutathione, to study the vulnerability of isolated synaptosomal membranes treated with Fe2+/H2O2, a known hydroxyl free radical producer. Protein carbonyls, a marker of protein oxidation, were measured. NAC significantly increased endogenous glutathione levels in cortical synaptosome cytosol (P < 0.01). As reported previously, protein carbonyl levels of the Fe2+/H2O2-treated synaptosomes were significantly higher compared to that of non-treated controls (P < 0.01), consistent with increased oxidative stress. In contrast, protein carbonyl levels in Fe2+/H2O2-treated synaptosomes isolated from NAC-injected animals were not significantly different from saline-injected non-treated controls, demonstrating protection against hydroxyl radical induced oxidative stress. These results are consistent with the notion that methods to increase endogenous glutathione levels in neurodegenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress, including AD, may be promising.
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PMID:In-vivo glutathione elevation protects against hydroxyl free radical-induced protein oxidation in rat brain. 1067 51

6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is a dopaminergic neurotoxin putatively involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Its neurotoxicity has been related to the production of reactive oxygen species. In this study we examine the effects of the antioxidants ascorbic acid (AA), glutathione (GSH), cysteine (CySH), and N-acetyl-CySH (NAC) on the autoxidation and neurotoxicity of 6-OHDA. In vitro, the autoxidation of 6-OHDA proceeds rapidly with the formation of H2O2 and with the participation of the H2O2 produced in the reaction. The presence of AA induced a reduction in the consumption of O2 during the autoxidation of 6-OHDA and a negligible presence of the p-quinone, which demonstrates the efficiency of AA to act as a redox cycling agent. The presence of GSH, CySH, and NAC produced a significant reduction in the autoxidation of 6-OHDA. In vivo, the presence of sulfhydryl antioxidants protected against neuronal degeneration in the striatum, which was particularly remarkable in the case of CySH and was attributed to its capacity to remove the H2O2 produced in the autoxidation of 6-OHDA. These results corroborate the involvement of oxidative stress as the major mechanism in the neurotoxicity of 6-OHDA and the putative role of CySH as a scavenger in relation to PD.
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PMID:Autoxidation and neurotoxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine in the presence of some antioxidants: potential implication in relation to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. 1073 18

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) provides neuroprotection against beta-amyloid toxicity in models of Alzheimer's disease. A superactive analogue, stearyl-Nle17-VIP (SNV) is a 100-fold more potent than VIP. In primary neuronal cultures, VIP protective activity may be mediated by femtomolar-acting glial proteins such as activity-dependent neurotrophic factor (ADNF), activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), peptide derivatives ADNF-9 (9aa) and NAP (8aa), respectively. It has been hypothesized that beta-amyloid induces oxidative stress leading to neuronal cell death. Similarly, dopamine and its oxidation products were suggested to trigger dopaminergic nigral cell death in Parkinson's disease. We now examined the possible protective effects of VIP against toxicity of dopamine, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) in neuronal cultures [rat pheochromocytoma (PC12), human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) and rat cerebellar granular cells]. Remarkably low concentrations of VIP (10(-16)-10(-8) M), ADNF-9 and NAP (10(-18)-10(-10) M) protected against dopamine and 6-OHDA toxicity in PC12 and neuroblastoma cells. VIP (10(-11)-10(-9) M) and SNV (10(-13)-10(-11) M), protected cerebellar granule neurons against 6-OHDA. In contrast, VIP did not rescue neurons from death associated with MPP+. Since dopamine toxicity is linked to the red/ ox state of the cellular glutathione, we investigated neuroprotection in cells depleted of reduced glutathione (GSH). Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a selective inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, caused a marked reduction in GSH in neuroblastoma cells and their viability decreased by 70-90%. VIP, SNV or NAP (over a wide concentration range) provided significant neuroprotection against BSO toxicity. These results show that the mechanism of neuroprotection by VIP/SNV/NAP may be mediated through raising cellular resistance against oxidative stress. Our data suggest these compounds as potential lead compounds for protective therapies against Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) prevents neurotoxicity in neuronal cultures: relevance to neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease. 1078 33

Altered glial cell function occurring in substantia nigra in Parkinson' disease may lead to the release of cytokines and impairment of neurotrophic factor production, which in turn, may cause dopaminergic apoptosis. To evaluate this concept, primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes were activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), depleted of glutathione with L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine or subjected to complex I inhibition with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium. The effects on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release, dopamine-stimulated glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release were determined. LPS activation or inhibition complex I activity, but not glutathione depletion, stimulated TNF-alpha release. Glutathione depletion or complex I inhibition, but not LPS-induced activation, impaired dopamine-stimulated GDNF release. None of these treatments altered BDNF release. Thus, altered glial function leading to TNF-alpha-mediated or GDNF withdrawal-induced dopaminergic apoptosis may contribute to nigral degeneration in Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Dysfunction of rat forebrain astrocytes in culture alters cytokine and neurotrophic factor release. 1078 8

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are involved in the detoxification of endogenous or exogenous toxins, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. We genotyped the Glutathione-S-Transferase isoenzymes GSTM1 and GSTT1 by polymerase chain reaction in order to evaluate different gene polymorphisms of these isoenzymes in 149 parkinsonian and 99 control subjects. No differences appeared between both groups regarding the frequencies of the homozygous deletion of GSTM1 (odds ratio 1.021; 95% CI [0.613; 1.699], p < 0.521 Fisher's exact test) and GSTT1 (odds ratio 1.514; 95% CI [0.811; 2.824], p < 0.127). Age of onset of PD did not correlate to GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms. These results do not support the hypothesis of a possible impact of GSTM1 and GSTT1 detoxification activities in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Glutathione S-transferase polymorphism in Parkinson's disease. 1082 41


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