Two caffeine-based chemicals show promise in preventing the ravages of Parkinson diseaseaccording to the results of a study published in the specialized medical journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Parkinson’s disease attacks the nervous system, causing uncontrolled twitching, muscle stiffness, and slow, imprecise movements. It is caused by the loss of brain cells (neurons) that produce dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter that allows neurons to “talk” to each other.
Protect dopamine-producing cells with caffeine-based substances
Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada focused on a protein called a-synuclein (AS), which is involved in the regulation of dopamine. For people who suffer from Parkinson’sSA is associated with the death of dopamine-producing neurons.
They carried out a study with a yeast model of Parkinson’s disease and tested 30 different compounds, bifunctional dimers, that is to say which mix 2 different known substances – including caffeine.
“Many of the current therapeutic compounds focus on enhancing dopamine output from surviving cells, but this is effective as long as there are still enough cells to do the job,” said biochemist Jeremy Lee. from the Department of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan “Our approach aims to protect dopamine-producing cells by preventing a-synuclein from activating,” says Jeremy Lee, a biochemist in the Department of Pharmacy and Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan, author of the study.
The researchers found that two of the compounds prevented the AS protein from multiplying, effectively allowing neurons to grow normally.
“Our results suggest that these new bifunctional dimers show promise in preventing the progression of Parkinson disease”said Jeremy Lee.
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