Researchers propose alternative targeted therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease
The commonest and most practised medications offered to those suffering from Parkinson’s disease focus primarily on symptom management and maintenance of quality of life.
One of the origins of Parkinson’s disease can be traced to an imbalance of 17 beta estradiol (or medically referred to as E2), a hormone found in the human brain. (Express Photo) Neuroscientists from Mohali, Punjab, have proposed a new therapeutic strategy for treating persons suffering from Parkinson’s disease with minimal side effects on patients.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease wherein people experience constant shivering or tremors leading to difficulty in moving around along with allied conditions like depression, poor memory, fatigue, loss of posture among others. It is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder among the older population, globally. In India, about 15 to 43 people per lakh suffer from Parkinson’s disease, suggests multiple published research. The World Health Organization estimates of 2019 stated that over 8.5 million people suffered from Parkinson’s disease and that these numbers saw an 81 per cent jump since 2000.
One of the origins of Parkinson’s disease can be traced to an imbalance of 17 beta estradiol (or medically referred to as E2), a hormone found in the human brain. A major problem in people with Parkinson’s disease is calpain, a protein that is highly expressed in their brains and known for being the cause for neuronal degeneration. Even though E2 has been known to have potential in treating Parkinson’s disease, its natural poor solubility, absorption capacity and side effects have hindered its effective use in the clinical treatment, so far.
Addressing this challenge, researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology in Mohali have managed to develop a targeted drug-delivering strategy that was found to improve E2’s bioavailability in the brain and bypass the ill side effects.
Through this strategy, they demonstrated targeted drug delivery by using nanoparticles of chitosan (a kind of sugar commonly used in medicines and drug development) loaded with E2 and later conjugated it against dopamine receptor D3, found abundantly in the brain.
“Our study reveals that the E2-loaded chitosan nanoparticles can effectively deliver E2 to the brain and modulate calpain in addition to preserving the cell functioning (mitochondrial homeostasis) and attenuate Parkinson’s disease. This is a promising new therapeutic strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease,” said Subhasree Roy Choudhury, senior scientist and one of the authors of the study, published in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers.
The commonest and most practised medications offered to those suffering from Parkinson’s disease, researchers said, focus primarily on symptom management and maintenance of quality of life. Whereas, their approach using calpain as a therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease mitigation has enhanced chances of managing this neurological condition.
With increased life expectancy and medical advancements, the burden of Parkinson’s disease is only set to increase as this condition is seen commonly among the older population.
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