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)

We have recently shown that intrastriatal injection of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) protects dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) from 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) toxicity in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. However, systemic administration of EPO did not protect nigral DA neurons, suggesting that the blood-brain barrier limits the passage of EPO protein into the brain. In the present study, we used an adeno-associated viral (AAV) serotype 9 (AAV9) vector to deliver the human EPO gene into the brain of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. We observed that expression of the human EPO gene was robust and stable in the striatum and the SN for up to 10 weeks. EPO-immunoreactive (IR) cells were widespread throughout the injected striatum, and EPO-IR neurons and fibers were also found in the ipsilateral SN. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot analyses exhibited dramatic levels of EPO protein in the injected striatum. As a result, nigral DA neurons were protected against 6-OHDA-induced toxicity. Amphetamine-induced rotational asymmetry and spontaneous forelimb use asymmetry were both attenuated. Interestingly, we also observed that intrastriatal injection of AAV9-EPO vectors led to increased numbers of red blood cells in peripheral blood. This highlights the importance of using an inducible gene delivery system for EPO gene delivery.
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PMID:AAV9-mediated erythropoietin gene delivery into the brain protects nigral dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. 1972 38

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting more than a million people in the USA alone. While there are effective symptomatic treatments for PD, there is an urgent need for new therapies that slow or halt the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons. Significant progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of PD, which has substantially facilitated the discovery efforts to identify novel drugs. The tissue-protective erythropoietin (EPO) receptor, EPOR/CD131, has emerged as one promising target for disease-modifying therapies. Recombinant human EPO (rhEPO), several variants of EPO, EPO-mimetic peptides, cell-based therapies using cells incubated with or expressing EPO, gene therapy vectors encoding EPO, and small molecule EPO mimetic compounds all show potential as therapeutic candidates. Agonists of the EPOR/CD131 receptor demonstrate potent anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects and protect neurons, including dopaminergic neurons, from diverse insults in vitro and in vivo. When delivered directly to the striatum, rhEPO protects dopaminergic neurons in animal models of PD. Early-stage clinical trials testing systemic rhEPO have provided encouraging results, while additional controlled studies are required to fully assess the potential of the treatment. Poor CNS availability of proteins and challenges related to invasive delivery limit delivery of EPO protein. Several variants of EPO and small molecule agonists of the EPO receptors are making progress in preclinical studies and may offer solutions to these challenges. While EPO was initially discovered as the primary modulator of erythropoiesis, the discovery and characterization of the tissue-protective EPOR/CD131 receptor offer an opportunity to selectively target the neuroprotective receptor as an approach to identify disease-modifying treatments for PD.
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PMID:Agonists of the tissue-protective erythropoietin receptor in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. 2583 21