Topic: 6-OHDA rat model

Promising alternative strategies, such as repurposing drugs, have been considered for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Within this framework, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown promising results in preserving the dopaminergic system. Indeed, published data from our group revealed that NAC single-dose administration enhanced DAn viability, as we found that it could restore dopamine transporter (DAT) levels. With this in mind, we consider that NAC application could be a remarkable asset to approach PD. Therefore, in the present study, we addressed the impact of a 7-day treatment with NAC in a 6-hydroxydo

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects more than 6 million people worldwide, and will affect more in coming decades. There are no drugs available for PD that alter progression of disease. Current symptomatic treatments provide limited relief and have side effects. Enhanced GABAergic neurotransmission contributes to Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis and to some motor and non-motor symptoms. In animal models, GABA levels are increased in substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to reduced expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in neurons which contributes to the behavioural deficits. The aim was t

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons, leading to dopaminergic deafferentation of the striatum and invalidating motor symptoms. Several studies suggest that doxycycline (DOX), an old antibiotic from the tetracycline family, could be a neuroprotective drug candidate for PD (Bortolanza et al, J Neural Transm, 2018). Its antibiotic activity may, however, preclude chronic use in patients. Therefore, we have developed a non-antibiotic derivative of DOX referred to as DDOX (12a-deoxy-dedimethylamino-DOX),

Pain is one of the non-motor symptoms affecting quality of life in Parkinsonian patients. More than 80% of patients suffer from pathological nociceptive hypersensitivity, which may be due to changes in the processing of somatosensory information in basal ganglia, including the subthalamic nucleus (STN). However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet defined.The aim of this study was i) to characterize the responses of STN neurons to peripheral nociceptive stimulation under normal and pathological conditions and ii) to investigate the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the STN on nocice