Over 10 million people are affected by Parkinson’s disease across the world. So far, there has been no cure for the disease. But recent research has raised hopes, as one of the studies is developing a molecule for treating the disease.
Drug Molecule Developed
A Delhi University professor and his team have found an effective drug molecule for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, according to a report published in February 2020. The molecule developed by DU professor has undergone pre-clinical trial, and has now been taken by an American pharma industry for further studies. Professor D.S. Rawat, department of Chemistry, and his team of 7 other people have been working on this project for the past eight years.
Earlier, the team had developed a molecule for malaria treatment. The results of their experiment were published in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters in 2012.
The current molecule is based on hybrid technology, i.e., joining of two or more drugs for better efficiency than giving drugs in combination.
The idea for the research came from a paper, published by Sanders in 1987 in the journal Nature wherein he concluded that chloroquine, a drug for malaria treatment, could retard Parkinson progression. But no one had carried forward that work. Since the compounds, studied by the university scientists, were better than chloroquine for malaria and had structural similarity with chloroquine, they thought of taking it forward. Collaborating with Professor Kim at McLean hospital at Boston, USA and, in 2014, with funds from MJ Fox Foundation, they came up with the molecule, which has cleared pre-clinical trials. It has an excellent chance to be developed as a drug. Out of 10,000 compounds, only one compound comes to market as a drug, which explains the importance of the compound reaching the trial stage.
Bacteria can Slow Down Parkinson-related Protein Formation
The results from a new study show a link between bacteria in the gut and the protein at the heart of Parkinson’s. A common gut bacteria could slow—and even reverse—the build-up of a protein linked to Parkinson’s, according to a research reported in July 2020. It is the latest in a number of recent studies, which have found a link between brain function and the different kinds of bacteria living in the digestive system—the gut microbiome.
Changes in the microorganisms in the gut are said to play a role in the initiation of Parkinson’s in some cases and are linked to certain symptoms.
A probiotic, Bacillus subtilis, was found to thwart the formation of toxic clumps that starve the brain of dopamine in people with the condition. Dopamine is a chemical that allows messages to be sent to and from regions of the brain that co-ordinate movement. Microorganisms in the gut are believed to play a role in the initiation of Parkinson’s in some cases. So, it is argued, some three quarters of sufferers of the disease have gastrointestinal (GI) abnormalities, with constipation in many cases.
Bacillus subtilis rebalances the gut microbiome which is thought to prevent and clear away the build-up of alpha-synuclein proteins. The alpha-synuclein protein misfolds and builds up, forming toxic clumps, in the brains of the affected. These plaques are associated with the death of nerve cells responsible for producing dopamine. The loss of the cells causes the motor symptoms associated with the disease, among which are freezing, tremors, and slow movement.
The team fed over-the-counter probiotics containing Bacillus subtilis to tiny worms that had been injected with the human gene for Parkinson’s. Bacillus subtilis had a protective effect against the build-up of alpha-synuclein and also cleared some of the already-formed clumps. This improved the movement symptoms in the roundworms. So, the results provide an opportunity to investigate how changing the bacteria that make up our gut microbiome could affect Parkinson’s. These steps are to be confirmed by using them in animals like mice, to be followed by fast-tracked clinical trials since the probiotic that was tested is already commercially available. The study may point to the benefit of conducting future studies on how supplements impact the condition of one afflicted by Parkinson’s.
As of now, there is no treatment that can slow, reverse or protect someone from its progression.