Nasal drugs show promise for slowing Parkinson's disease progression in
lab study
'A remarkable advance' if results can be replicated

Date:
September 21, 2021
Source:
Rush University Medical Center
Summary:
Researchers have shown that two lab-developed and nasally-delivered
peptides helped slow the spread of alpha-synuclein in mice. 'If
these results can be replicated in patients, it would be a
remarkable advance in the treatment of devastating neurological
disorders,' says the lead author.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Potential new treatments for Parkinson's disease developed by
researchers at Rush University Medical Center have shown success in
slowing progression of the disease in mice.


==========================================================================
In a study published in Nature Communications, Rush researchers 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," says Kalipada Pahan,
PhD, the Floyd A. Davis Professor of Neurology at Rush University Medical Center and a research career scientist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical
Center, who led the study.

Lewy bodies are also associated with the development of Lewy body dementia
and a rare neurological disorder called multiple system atrophy (MSA). "At present, there is also no effective treatment for dementia with Lewy
bodies and multiple system atrophy," Pahan says. "Understanding how these diseases work is important to developing effective drugs that inhibit alpha-synuclein pathology, protect the brain, and stop the progression of
Lewy body diseases." The lab-developed peptides tested in the study are
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.

"If these results can be replicated in patients, it would be a remarkable advance in the treatment of devastating neurological disorders,"
Pahan says.

The research was supported by funding from the National Institutes
of Health.

Other authors of the article are Debashis Dutta, PhD; Malabendu Jana,
PhD; Moumita Majumder, PhD; Susanta Mondal, PhD; and Avik Roy, PhD,
all from Rush University Medical Center.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Rush_University_Medical_Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Debashis Dutta, Malabendu Jana, Moumita Majumder, Susanta Mondal,
Avik
Roy, Kalipada Pahan. Selective targeting of the TLR2/MyD88/NF-kB
pathway reduces a-synuclein spreading in vitro and in vivo. Nature
Communications, 2021; 12 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25767-1 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210921171801.htm

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