Parkinson's Disease Tulip


advertisement
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-07-2007, 11:15 AM #1
olsen's Avatar
olsen olsen is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,860
15 yr Member
olsen olsen is offline
Senior Member
olsen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,860
15 yr Member
Default Leptin hormone potentially effective in Parkinson's

STKE: Food for Thought
John F. Foley
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) of the brain. The reduced production and function of neurotrophins (proteins that promote neuronal survival) in patients' brains as compared to those of unaffected individuals may be a contributing factor in Parkinson's disease. Leptin is a hormone that functions in the hypothalamus to reduce appetite. Leptin receptors are also abundant in dopaminergic neurons in the SNc, leading Weng et al. to investigate whether leptin might play a role in neuronal survival. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that degeneration of mouse dopaminergic neurons in the SNc caused by injection into the brain of the neurotoxin 6-OHDA (a mouse model of Parkinson's disease) was less severe if the mice were pre-injected with leptin. Leptin was also protective against 6-OHDA-induced toxicity in mouse MN9D cells, a dopaminergic cell line. Western blotting assays and treatments with pharmacological inhibitors and short hairpin RNAs showed that the ability of leptin to block 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis was dependent on leptin receptor-mediated activation of Janus kinase 2, mitogen-activated or extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2, and the transcription factor cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), a known neuronal survival factor. Leptin also stimulated the phosphorylation and nuclear localization of CREB in dopaminergic SNc neurons and increased the abundance of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain as compared to that in untreated animals. Together, these data suggest that treatment with leptin may be useful in therapies to combat Parkinson's disease. -- JFF

J. Biol. Chem. 282, 34479 (2007).
__________________
In the last analysis, we see only what we are ready to see, what we have been taught to see. We eliminate and ignore everything that is not a part of our prejudices.

~ Jean-Martin Charcot


The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed. William Gibson
olsen is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote

advertisement
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Survey: Migraine patients taking potentially addictive meds fiberowendy2000 Chronic Pain 0 05-19-2007 08:27 AM
Rotigotine As Levodopa Adjunct Is Effective In Advanced Parkinson's Disease Stitcher Parkinson's Disease 0 05-03-2007 08:01 PM
The Parkinson's Institute...New studies link the environment to Parkinson's disease Stitcher Parkinson's Disease 0 04-05-2007 04:09 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:50 PM.

Powered by vBulletin • Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

vBulletin Optimisation provided by vB Optimise v2.7.1 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
 

NeuroTalk Forums

Helping support those with neurological and related conditions.

 

The material on this site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment
provided by a qualified health care provider.


Always consult your doctor before trying anything you read here.