In a new study from Rush University, researchers found potential new treatments that could slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
They found that two different peptides (chains of amino acids) helped slow the spread of alpha-synuclein, a protein that occurs in abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies in the brain.
Lewy bodies are hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease, the most common movement disorder affecting about 1.2 million people in the United States and Canada.
Currently, there are no treatments that slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease—they only treat the symptoms.
Lewy bodies are also linked to the development of Lewy body dementia and a rare neurological disorder called multiple system atrophy (MSA).
In the study, the team developed the new drugs known as TLR2-interacting domain of Myd88 (TIDM) and NEMO-binding domain (NBD).
The drugs, which were delivered through the nose, were found to slow inflammation in the brain and stop the spread of alpha-synuclein in mice with Parkinson’s disease.
The treatments also improved the mice’s gait, balance, and other motor functions.
The team says if these results can be replicated in patients, it would be a remarkable advance in the treatment of devastating neurological disorders.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies one step closer to nasal spray treatment for Parkinson’s disease and findings of gut inflammation may initiate Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about Parkinson’s and your health, please see recent studies about the major cause of Parkinson’s disease and results showing a new early sign of Parkinson’s disease.
The study is published in Nature Communications. One author of the study is Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2021 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
