Compounds from Fruits are Expected to Reverse Parkinson’s Disease
Compounds from Fruits are Expected to Reverse Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease and one of the most common central nervous system degenerative diseases. Due to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, it affects movement and cognition, leading to symptoms such as tremor, muscle stiffness, confusion, and dementia.
Parkinson's disease mainly affects the elderly over 65 years old (incidence rate is close to 2%). China has entered an aging society in an all-round way. It is conservatively estimated that there are about 4 million patients with Parkinson's disease, which brings huge burden to people's health and social security.
In a new study, researchers from research institutions such as Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States said that they have added new evidence to show that in mouse experiments, it is naturally present in herbs, berries and other fruits. The compound Farnesol can prevent and reverse the brain damage associated with Parkinson's disease.
Mouse model experiments show that Farnesol can not only significantly prevent the loss of dopamine neurons in mice, but also reverse the behavioral defects of mice, which indicates that farnesol is expected to become a potential drug for the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
In the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease, the accumulation of PARIS protein slows the production of the protective protein PGC-1α. PGC-1α is a protein that protects brain cells from the destruction of reactive oxygen molecules that accumulate in the brain. Without PGC-1α, dopamine neurons would die, leading to cognitive and physical changes associated with Parkinson's disease.
In order to verify whether Farnesol can protect the brain from PARIS accumulation, the researchers fed Parkinson's disease mice and normal mice a diet supplemented with farnesol for a week. The researchers used several different mouse models of Parkinson's disease-transgenic mice overexpressing PARIS, mice injected with PARIS-AAV virus in the brain, mice with Parkin selectively inactivated in the brain, and mice with sporadic Parkinson's disease produced by injection of fibrous protein α-synuclein.
In these different mouse models of Parkinson's disease, the researchers found that mice fed farnesol performed better in strength and coordination tests designed to detect the progression of Parkinson's disease. The number of healthy dopamine neurons in the brains of mice fed farnesol was twice that of control mice, and PGC-1 was 55% higher.
The researchers further confirmed that Farnesol binds to PARIS during the process of Farnesylation, thereby changing the shape of its protein so that it no longer prevents the production of PGC-1α, thereby protecting the brain.
Farnesol is a natural compound found in flowers, fruits and fungi. It has also been chemically synthesized and widely used in perfumes. However, the safe dose of farnesol for humans has not yet been confirmed, and only carefully controlled clinical trials can do this. Although more research is needed, the research team hopes that farnesol will one day be used to develop treatments to prevent or reverse the brain damage caused by Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson’s Disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease and one of the most common central nervous system degenerative diseases. Due to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, it affects movement and cognition, leading to symptoms such as tremor, muscle stiffness, confusion, and dementia.
Parkinson's disease mainly affects the elderly over 65 years old (incidence rate is close to 2%). China has entered an aging society in an all-round way. It is conservatively estimated that there are about 4 million patients with Parkinson's disease, which brings huge burden to people's health and social security.
In a new study, researchers from research institutions such as Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States said that they have added new evidence to show that in mouse experiments, it is naturally present in herbs, berries and other fruits. The compound Farnesol can prevent and reverse the brain damage associated with Parkinson's disease.
Mouse model experiments show that Farnesol can not only significantly prevent the loss of dopamine neurons in mice, but also reverse the behavioral defects of mice, which indicates that farnesol is expected to become a potential drug for the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
In the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease, the accumulation of PARIS protein slows the production of the protective protein PGC-1α. PGC-1α is a protein that protects brain cells from the destruction of reactive oxygen molecules that accumulate in the brain. Without PGC-1α, dopamine neurons would die, leading to cognitive and physical changes associated with Parkinson's disease.
In order to verify whether Farnesol can protect the brain from PARIS accumulation, the researchers fed Parkinson's disease mice and normal mice a diet supplemented with farnesol for a week. The researchers used several different mouse models of Parkinson's disease-transgenic mice overexpressing PARIS, mice injected with PARIS-AAV virus in the brain, mice with Parkin selectively inactivated in the brain, and mice with sporadic Parkinson's disease produced by injection of fibrous protein α-synuclein.
In these different mouse models of Parkinson's disease, the researchers found that mice fed farnesol performed better in strength and coordination tests designed to detect the progression of Parkinson's disease. The number of healthy dopamine neurons in the brains of mice fed farnesol was twice that of control mice, and PGC-1 was 55% higher.
The researchers further confirmed that Farnesol binds to PARIS during the process of Farnesylation, thereby changing the shape of its protein so that it no longer prevents the production of PGC-1α, thereby protecting the brain.
Farnesol is a natural compound found in flowers, fruits and fungi. It has also been chemically synthesized and widely used in perfumes. However, the safe dose of farnesol for humans has not yet been confirmed, and only carefully controlled clinical trials can do this. Although more research is needed, the research team hopes that farnesol will one day be used to develop treatments to prevent or reverse the brain damage caused by Parkinson's disease.
