New molecule could reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s

 Author: Simge Eva Dogan        11 October 2018

Researchers at a university in Spain have discovered a new molecule which they claim can block and reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s.

The molecule – named SynuClean-D – is able to reduce alpha-synuclein aggregations which cause degeneration.

The study – published in science journal ‘PNAS’ – explains how researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, tested over 14,000 molecules before discovering SynuClean-D.

They then tested the molecule on a Caenorhabditis worm – one of the most commonly used animals when researching neurodegenerative diseases – finding that it boosted its mobility and protected it from neural degeneration.

Salvador Ventura, the study coordinator, said: “Everything seems to indicate that the molecule we identified, the SynuClean-D, may provide therapeutic applications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s in the future.”

The discovery of SynuClean-D

The researchers scanned over 14,000 molecules, looking for a specific feature: molecules that would be able to stop alpha-synuclein from sticking together into aggregates.

By employing novel methods of screening molecules and analyzing their properties, the scientists eventually identified SynuClean-D, which acts as an aggregation inhibitor.

In a further step, they also tested out the molecule in vitro, to see if it would be effective and safe to use in human neural cell cultures. Once this step was cleared, the team decided to also test SynuClean-D in vivo — in the Caenorhabditis elegans worm, which is often used in Parkinson's research.

C. elegans is a good model for Parkinson's because it expresses alpha-synuclein in the muscle or in certain nerve cells — namely dopaminergic neurons, which synthesize the key neurotransmitter dopamine.

These types of neurons are also involved in sending the messages that regulate mobility, so when their activity is inhibited by alpha-synuclein aggregates, an individual's ability to move is also impaired.

The scientists used two C. elegans models of Parkinson's disease in the current study. After administering SynuClean-D to the worms in food, the researchers found that it hindered alpha-synuclein from sticking together, protected the animals against neural degeneration, and boosted their mobility.

In the future, the researchers hope that their current findings will enable the development of more targeted treatments for neurodegenerative conditions.

"Everything seems to indicate that the molecule we identified, the SynuClean-D, may provide therapeutic applications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's in the future."

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