New therapy for Parkinson’s Disease proposed

New Delhi: Indian brain researchers have discovered how a complex interplay between two crucial brain chemicals leads to the development of Parkinson’s Disease – an old-age related health complication – opening a new window to look at a novel therapy for the neurological disorder that affects thousands of Indians each year.

The study by scientists at the National Brain Research Centre, Manesar not only gives rise to the possibility of developing new medicines but also provides a unique insight into the disease, whose aetiology still remains obscure.

“Our research opens up a new therapeutic avenue for PD, subject to a successful clinical trial. This is a proof-of-concept study, on the basis of which a clinical trial can be designed,” Pravat K Mandal, a senior scientist at NBRC and the leader of the team, told DH.

According to a 2019 burden of disease study, India has an estimated 7,71,000 Parkinson’s patients with an annual fatality of 45,300.

The disease is marked by symptoms like tremors of hands, difficulties in maintaining body balance and movement, along with sleep disorder, pain and other mental health issues. The conditions generally worsen with time.

While the disorder can be managed by medicines like levodopa or carbidopa, the therapies have their limitations and may not work well in the long run.

As scientists worldwide continue to look for new medicines for Parkinson’s, the NBRC team stumbled upon a lead while studying the brains of 38 PD patients and comparing the data with 30 healthy controls – they found a significant drop in the level of antioxidant glutathione in a tiny portion of the brain and concomitant rise of iron levels.

Both glutathione and iron occur naturally in the brain and are required for regular day-to-day activities. But it is their quantity in a midbrain region called Substantia Nigra that determines an individual’s tendency to develop PD.

They found a substantial depletion in the level of glutathione in Substantia Nigra and a very high level of iron. Sometimes, the iron quantity becomes so high that it adversely impacts the Hippocampus, one of the vital components of the brain.

“This explains why in some of the PD patients, we have been observing symptoms like memory loss. It happens because of the excessive iron that impacts the hippocampus,” Mandal said. The team collaborated with two Gurgaon-based private hospitals, Medanta Medicity and Paras Hospital, for the study.

The glutathione level in the brain declines due to “oxidative stress” that can be caused by a variety of reasons ranging from environmental exposures to chemicals and pollutants to dietary habits and genetic predisposition.

Based on their own research as well as studies by other brain specialists, the NBRC team has proposed using a combination of glutathione and a class of iron removal agents as a possible medicine against Parkinson’s. “Its a possible therapy, which needs to be checked in a clinical trial,” he said.

The study was published last week in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.