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"Prescription Drugs for Patients with BP Could Treat Parkinson's Disease" (Image of Representation) & nbsp | & nbspPhoto Credit: & nbspThinkstock
Washington DC: An animal study revealed that a drug called felodipine prescribed for high blood pressure could treat diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and forms of dementia. A common feature of these diseases, collectively referred to as neurodegenerative diseases, is the formation of misfolded proteins. These proteins, such as huntingtin in Huntington's disease and tau protein in certain dementias, form "aggregates" that can cause irreversible damage to nerve cells in the brain.
In healthy individuals, the body uses a mechanism to prevent the accumulation of these toxic substances. This mechanism is known as autophagy or "self-consumption" and involves breaking down the materials. However, in neurodegenerative diseases, this mechanism is impaired and unable to eliminate the proteins that accumulate in the brain.
Epidemiological studies have already alluded to a possible link between the drug and the reduced risk of Parkinson's disease, but researchers have now shown that it can induce autophagy in several neurodegenerative states. The study was published in Nature Communications.
A team led by David Rubinsztein used genetically engineered mice to express mutations that cause Huntington's disease or a form of Parkinson's disease, as well as zebrafish that model a form of dementia.
Felodipine has been shown to be effective in reducing the accumulation of harmful proteins in mice with Huntington mutations and Parkinson's disease and in the zebrafish dementia model. Treated animals also had fewer signs of disease.
"This is the first time we are aware of a study showing that an approved drug can slow the formation of harmful proteins in the brains of mice at doses designed to mimic the concentrations of this drug." drug in humans, "said Rubinsztein. .
"As a result, the drug has been able to slow the progression of these potentially devastating conditions and we believe that it should be tested in patients.We must be cautious, but I would like to say that we can be cautiously optimistic," said Rubinsztein. added.
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