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)

alpha-Synuclein, a pathological component of Parkinson's disease by constituting the Lewy bodies, has been suggested to be involved in membrane biogenesis via induction of amphipathic alpha-helices. Since the amphipathic alpha-helix is also known as a recognition signal of calmodulin for its target proteins, molecular interaction between alpha-synuclein and calmodulin has been investigated. By employing a chemical coupling reagent of N-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline, alpha-synuclein has been shown to yield a heterodimeric 1 : 1 complex with calmodulin on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and even absence of calcium, whereas beta-synuclein was more dependent upon calcium for its calmodulin interaction. The selective calmodulin interaction of alpha-synuclein in the absence of calcium was also demonstrated with the aggregation kinetics of the synucleins in which only the alpha-synuclein aggregation was affected by calmodulin. A reversible binding assay confirmed that alpha-synuclein interacted with the Ca2+-free as well as the Ca2+-bound calmodulins with almost identical Kds of 0.35 micro m and 0.31 micro m, respectively, while beta-synuclein preferentially recognized the Ca2+-bound form with a Kd of 0.68 micro m. By using a C-terminally truncated alpha-synuclein of alpha-syn97, the calmodulin binding site(s) on alpha-synuclein was(were) shown to be located on the N-terminal region where the amphipathic alpha-helices have been suggested to be induced upon membrane interaction. By employing liposome and calmodulin in a state of being either soluble or immobilized on agarose, actual competition of alpha-synuclein between membranes and calmodulin was demonstrated with the observation that alpha-synuclein previously bound to the liposome was released upon specific interaction with the calmodulins. Taken together, these data may suggest that alpha-synuclein could act not only as a negative regulator for calmodulin in the presence and even absence of calcium, but it could also exert its activity at the interface between calmodulin and membranes.
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PMID:alpha-Synuclein exhibits competitive interaction between calmodulin and synthetic membranes. 1235 48

Dopa and carbidopa, components of the dual therapy for Parkinson's disease treatment, are both provided as single enantiomers, since their D-forms are inactive. To ensure the efficiency and safety of the therapy, these D-enantiomers, therefore, should be considered as impurities. In this paper, the enantioseparation power of different types of cyclodextrins, both neutral and charged ones, on dopa and carbidopa enantiomers was tested. Three methods of simultaneous separation of dopa and carbidopa enantiomers were developed, using highly sulfated beta-cyclodextrin and sulfated beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector, in normal and reversed polarity mode. Two methods among these three were found sensitive enough for the quantitation of 0.1% D-enantiomers in L-forms (impurity level). After the optimization study, the best method was selected, using 16 mM sulfated beta-cyclodextrin in 15 mM sodium phosphate buffer pH 2.45, an uncoated fused-silica capillary (50 num inner diameter, 30 cm total length), and an applied voltage of -12 kV. This method is robust and efficient, with very high resolution for all peaks within a short analysis time of 10 min. Quantitatively, the method offers a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.2 nug/mL and a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.5 nug/mL for both D-dopa and D-carbidopa, which is equivalent to 0.02% and 0.05% against the respective L-enantiomers. A linear relationship was found between the concentration of the analyte and the corresponding peak area in a range of 0.5-2.0 nug/mL.
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PMID:Simultaneous determination of dopa and carbidopa enantiomers by capillary zone electrophoresis. 1237 70

Oxidative stress plays an important role in many neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. 4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE), a lipid-soluble aldehydic product of membrane peroxidation, has been known to decrease neuronal survival by impairing Na+, K+, and -ATPase activity. HNE also increases neuronal vulnerability to excitotoxic injury and disrupts homeostasis by activating proteases which mediate the destruction of cellular protein and structure. The present study demonstrated that the hydrophobic HIV protease inhibitor, ritonavir inhibited HNE-mediated apoptosis in hippocampal primary neurons. In neurons exposed to oxidative stress induced by HNE (1 microM), ritonavir at 100 pM increased cell survival and completely abolished the apoptotic effects of HNE (P < 0.01). Ritonavir and its analogues might have useful cytoprotective effects for use in limiting the natural course of tissue injury after conditions where oxidative stress plays a role.
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PMID:Ritonavir protects hippocampal neurons against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. 1238 58

The subthalamic nucleus participates in the control of movement and is considered a surgical target in the treatment of parkinsonian symptoms. Using the rat brain in vitro slice technique we show that sustained high-frequency (>100 Hz) electrical stimulation (i.e., 'tetanic stimulation') of the nucleus, as used in humans to treat Parkinson's disease, silenced subthalamic neurons. Two main cell types were identified. 'Tonic cells' (68%) showed delayed inward rectification, fired continuously, switched to bursting and stopped firing when strongly depolarized with injected current. Tetanic stimulation of the nucleus induced a steady depolarization (approximately 18 mV) that triggered action potentials at a high rate followed by bursts and finally (approximately 25 s) totally silenced tonic cells. The control tonic activity was recovered rapidly (<10 s) after ending stimulation. 'Phasic cells' (25%) discharged a single initial brief burst of action potentials both when depolarized by prolonged current injection and tetanic stimulation and did not show inward rectification. An infrequent cell type called 'phasic-tonic' (7%) showed a mixed discharge. We suggest that the silencing effect of tetanic stimulation is not a frequency-dependent presynaptic depression and could result from the gradual inactivation of Na+-mediated action potentials. These findings suggest that the remission of parkinsonian symptoms by treatment with high-frequency electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in humans may primarily reside on its capacity to suppress the action potential activity of subthalamic neurons.
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PMID:High-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus silences subthalamic neurons: a possible cellular mechanism in Parkinson's disease. 1245 83

The applications of neural progenitor cells in clinical therapy for neural degeneration, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and cerebral infarction, have long been explored widely. It had been suggested that these cells may block the apoptosis of ischemia-induced neuronal damage and may themselves resist neurotoxic factors. In the present study, neural progenitor cells derived from the cortex of rodent embryos were cultured with the mitogenic agent epidermal growth factor. It was observed that these progenitor cells could self-renew and differentiate into a number of types of neurons and glial cells. By using sodium nitroprusside, glutamate, and N-methyl-D-aspartate, these neural progenitor cells were shown to have a higher resistance to neurotoxicity induced by these drugs compared with primary neuronal cells. However, the release of nitric oxide in response to glutamate by these neural progenitor cells was similar to the released by primary neuronal cells. Also, when the glutamate-stimulated increase in intracellular free Ca(2+) concentration was measured, stimulation of the glutamate receptors could not induce a significant influx of Ca(2+) into these progenitor cells until they differentiated. Our results suggest that the resistance of neural progenitor cells to neurotoxicity may be partially due to a lack of response to glutamate. In addition, some progenitor-generated neurotrophic factors may contribute to the resistance of these cells to nitric oxide-induced neurotoxicity.
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PMID:Neural progenitor cells resist excitatory amino acid-induced neurotoxicity. 1250 90

The neuropathology of Parkinson's disease (PD) involves a reduction of endogenous antioxidant enzyme systems, heightened oxidative stress and mitochondrial aberrations in the region of the substantia nigra. Similarly, neurotoxins commonly used to investigate PD pathology include 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a powerful hydrogen peroxide (H(2)0(2)) pro-oxidant and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+), a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor that exerts detrimental effects on cellular energy production. Pyruvic acid is a neuronal metabolic energy fuel that can also rapidly undergo decarboxylation to diffuse H(2)0(2) into H(2)0. In this study, we investigated the effect of pyruvic acid against 6-OHDA, MPP+ and H(2)0(2) toxicity in murine brain neuroblastoma cells. The results obtained indicated that the toxicity of 6-OHDA was inversely related to the autoxidative formation of H(2)0(2). Pyruvic acid exhibited powerful non-enzymatic stoichiometric H(2)0(2) trapping properties, and protected against both 6-OHDA and H(2)0(2) toxicity. While both sodium pyruvate and pyruvate were highly protective against oxidative stress, pyruvate in its free acid form only was protective against MPP+, indicating a requirement for effective transport in order to fuel glycolysis. The protective properties of glucose were compared to pyruvic acid, and the data indicated that glucose did not exhibit antioxidant properties and was effective in blocking MPP+, but not 6-OHDA or H(2)0(2) toxicity. On the other hand, pyruvic acid was protective against all three toxins, and unlike glucose, completely blocked MPP+ toxicity in a combination insult model with up to 500 microM of H(2)0(2). Moreover, the data obtained indicate that pyruvic acid exerts powerful neuroprotective properties by providing simultaneous resistance to oxidative stress and mitochondrial insult. These protective effects are the result of a unique dual property of pyruvic acid with concurrent ability to serve as an effective neuronal energy substrate for glycolysis and to act as an exceptionally powerful antioxidant.
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PMID:Pyruvic acid cytoprotection against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, 6-hydroxydopamine and hydrogen peroxide toxicities in vitro. 1252 92

Normal cellular metabolism produces oxidants that are neutralized within cells by antioxidant enzymes and other antioxidants. An imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant has been postulated to lead the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease. In this study, we examined whether selenium, an antioxidant, can prevent or slowdown neuronal injury in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of Parkinsonism. Rats were pre-treated with sodium selenite (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/kg body weight) for 7 days. On day 8, 2 micro L 6-OHDA (12.5 micro g in 0.2% ascorbic acid in normal saline) was infused in the right striatum. Two weeks after 6-OHDA infusion, rats were tested for neurobehavioral activity, and were killed after 3 weeks of 6-OHDA infusion for the estimation of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione reductase, glutathione content, lipid peroxidation, and dopamine and its metabolites. Selenium was found to be successful in upregulating the antioxidant status and lowering the dopamine loss, and functional recovery returned close to the baseline dose-dependently. This study revealed that selenium, which is an essential part of our diet, may be helpful in slowing down the progression of neurodegeneration in parkinsonism.
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PMID:Dose-dependent protective effect of selenium in rat model of Parkinson's disease: neurobehavioral and neurochemical evidences. 1255 63

We evaluated the hydroxyl radical (*OH) scavenging action of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), sodium salicylate (SA), diclofenac and celecoxib in Fenton's reaction and their neuroprotective effects in 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+))-induced striatal dopamine (DA) depletion in rats. Salicylate hydroxylation procedure employing HPLC-electrochemistry was used to assay formation of *OH in Fenton's reaction in test tubes. While SA dose- and time-dependently hydroxylated itself and inactivated *OH, celecoxib (up to 10 mM) showed no effect on *OH formation and diclofenac caused a reduction in *OH generation only at high doses (100 microM-10 mM). Administration of the non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, SA (50, 100 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated striatal DA depletion caused by intrastriatal infusion of MPP(+) (100 nmol in 4 microl). Treatment with another nonselective, reversible COX inhibitor, diclofenac (5, 10 mg/kg) did not protect against MPP(+)-induced DA depletion. The selective COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib (2.5-50 mg/kg) treatment exacerbated MPP(+)-induced decrease in DA. Failure of celecoxib or diclofenac to render protection in animals against MPP(+)-induced DA depletion indicates absence of prostaglandin involvement in MPP(+) action. These results also suggest that the neuroprotective ability of SA is independent of prostaglandin mediation. A relationship between inactivation of *OH by SA and its ability to protect DA depletion in the striatum caused by MPP(+) indicates a direct involvement of *OH in the action of this neurotoxin. The present study establishes potent neuroprotective activity of SA and suggests the use of aspirin in adjuvant therapy in Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sodium salicylate, but not diclofenac or celecoxib, protects against 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in rats. 1261 47

In vivo, neurons of the globus pallidus (GP) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) resonate independently around 70 Hz. However, on the loss of dopamine as in Parkinson's disease, there is a switch to a lower frequency of firing with increased bursting and synchronization of activity. In vitro, type A neurons of the GP, identified by the presence of I(h) and rebound depolarizations, fire at frequencies (<or=80 Hz) in response to glutamate pressure ejection, designed to mimic STN input. The profile of this frequency response was unaltered by bath application of the GABA(A) antagonist bicuculline (10 microM), indicating the lack of involvement of a local GABA neuronal network, while cross-correlations of neuronal pairs revealed uncorrelated activity or phase-locked activity with a variable phase delay, consistent with each GP neuron acting as an independent oscillator. This autonomy of firing appears to arise due to the presence of intrinsic voltage- and sodium-dependent subthreshold membrane oscillations. GABA(A) inhibitory postsynaptic potentials are able to disrupt this tonic activity while promoting a rebound depolarization and action potential firing. This rebound is able to reset the phase of the intrinsic oscillation and provides a mechanism for promoting coherent firing activity in ensembles of GP neurons that may ultimately lead to abnormal and pathological disorders of movement.
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PMID:Independent neuronal oscillators of the rat globus pallidus. 1262 34

At the opportunity of celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, I am filled with deep emotion when I recall the time only a few decades ago, when mental disorders were believed to be an illness of the mind without any disorder in the brain. It has now become apparent that a mental disease emerges from the malfunction of the brain's unique biological mechanisms, so that any mental disease can be cured or prevented if the cause of the malfunction is clarified. Analyses of intercellular as well as intracellular signal transduction and the mechanisms underlying gene regulation in brain cells have recently advanced markedly and have brought a marked improvement in the methods and technology for investigating pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric diseases. These impressive results have been derived in the search for the cause of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and spinocerebellar degeneration. Certain minor changes in the molecular structure of sodium channels have been found to cause epilepsy. It has also been revealed that ten particular sites in chromosomes harbor the remote cause of schizophrenia and depression. These sites are probably responsible for production of certain synaptic transmitters and modulators. Another major challenge in the field of psychiatry is to understand the unique symptoms exhibited by patients with psychiatric disorders, which requires research to head in a direction different from molecular and cellular brain science. It is a challenge similar to the very fundamental challenge of determining how our brain, which is composed of numerous brain cells, yields our mind (or, should I say, supports our mind). To understand the brain as a complex system is more difficult than researching its molecular and cellular machinery, and accordingly, the progress of research in this field has been slow. However, it is gradually gaining speed thanks to the improvement in non-invasive methods for measuring activities in conscious human brains as well as that to the establishment of computational models. For example, it is a major mystery why a schizophrenic patient experiences auditory hallucinations, but an interesting hypothesis is derived by considering activities of the thinking brain as a neural system. Under this hypothesis, we gather information from the outside world by using our sensory systems and establish its internal model in our brain. Thus, manipulation of the internal model to run a simulation is an important part of our thinking activities. When an internal model behaves abnormally, abnormal information is generated, which makes the patient mistake it for sound from the outside, thus causing auditory hallucinations. It is highly expected that substantial progress will be made in psychiatry through proposals of new hypothetical models such as this one as well as verification of them through non-invasive measurement of brain activities. In the near future, patients with mental disorders will most likely benefit from the results of this two-directional research in psychiatry. The expectation is high for the strong leadership of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology to promote research in Japan. Effective research effort requires efficient collection of human materials and systematic survey of patients, which will inevitably increase the involvement of patients in basic research. Improvement of research environments such as by developing a method for assessing research ethics and upgrading brain banks is urgently needed.
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PMID:[Roles of brain science in psychiatry]. 1264 5


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