Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison injected mice that produced twice the normal amount of the Nrf2 protein with a chemical known to cause Parkinson’s disease. The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrated that the mice were completely protected from the poisonous effects of the chemical. Researchers concluded that the Nrf2 protein was responsible for safeguarding the mice from the movement disorder. In addition, another mouse that had overproduced Nrf2 was crossed with a mouse in which the Nrf2 protein had been “knocked out.” The research showed that even the “knocked out” mouse was protected from the chemical toxicity that triggers Parkinson’s.
When dopamine-producing nerve cells in the substantia nigra area of the brain die or become damaged, muscles cannot function in a normal fashion. The result is Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder that often impairs motor skills, speech and other functions. “The dopamine metabolite level was reduced by 90 percent in the knock-out mouse, but it was completely untouched with Nrf2 in astrocytes and did not develop Parkinson’s,” says Jeffrey Johnson, a professor in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Wisconsin who led the study. “We didn’t expect the complete abolition of toxicity,” he adds.
This past December, researchers had discovered the ability of the Nrf2 protein to stop the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additional studies are now being conducted to evaluate the protein’s effect on people with Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases. Says Johnson, “It’s becoming apparent that astrocyte dysfunction is a major contributing factor to the neurons dying. If we can make the astrocyte better or stronger, or so that it doesn’t become dysfunctional, you can preserve the neurons.” The University of Wisconsin researchers have also initiated long-term studies in mice to determine if they can intervene to reverse any damage caused by Parkinson’s.
News Release: Boosting protein protects against Parkinson’s disease: study www.rawstory.com February 2, 2009
