Parkinson’s: a fruit compound to prevent and treat the disease

Eating fruit is always a healthy idea. American researchers at Johns Hopkins University claim that one of the naturally occurring compounds, farnesol, also present in lily of the valley and orange blossom, would prevent and reverse brain damage linked to Parkinson’s. They presented their results in a study published on July 28 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

A promising treatment

The loss of dopaminergic neurons is one of the main causes of Parkinson’s. Farnesol, also used in flavorings and the manufacture of perfumes, would prevent this phenomenon by deactivating Paris, a key protein involved in the progression of the disease. The loss of these neurons affects movement and cognition, leading to characteristic Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremors, muscle rigidity, confusion and dementia.

According to the researchers, the ability of farnesol to block Paris could guide the development of new interventions against Parkinson’s disease that specifically target this protein. “Our experiments showed that farnesol both significantly prevented the loss of dopaminergic neurons and reversed behavioral deficits in mice, indicating its promise as a potential drug treatment to prevent Parkinson’s disease.”, rejoiced Ted Dawson, principal author of the study.

Protecting the Brain from Paris Accumulation

In detail, in the brains of people with Parkinson’s, a buildup of Paris proteins slows the production of a protective protein PGC-1alpha that protects brain cells from damage caused by reactive oxygen molecules that accumulate in the brain. Without PGC-1alpha, dopaminergic neurons die, leading to the cognitive and physical changes associated with Parkinson’s.

To study whether farnesol could protect the brain from the effects of Paris accumulation, the researchers fed mice either a diet supplemented with this molecule or a normal diet for a week. Next, the researchers administered preformed fibrils of the protein alpha-synuclein, which is associated with the effects of Parkinson’s in the brain.

Twice as many healthy dopaminergic neurons

The researchers found that mice fed the farnesol diet performed better on a strength and coordination test designed to detect changes in Parkinson’s symptoms. On average, the mice performed better than mice injected with alpha-synuclein but fed a normal diet. When researchers then studied the brain tissue of mice in both groups, they found that mice fed a farnesol-enriched diet had twice as many healthy dopamine neurons. They also have around 55% more protective protein PGC-1alpha in their brains than untreated mice.