Aging and MPTP Sensitivity Depend on Molecular and Ultrastructural Signatures of Astroglia and Microglia in Mice Substantia Nigra.

Both astroglia and microglia show region-specific distribution in CNS and often maladapt to age-associated alterations within their niche. Studies on autopsied substantia nigra (SN) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and experimental models propose gliosis as a trigger for neuronal loss. Epidemiological studies propose an ethnic bias in PD prevalence, since Caucasians are more susceptible than non-whites.

Strategies in Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics - A Need for Synergy of Ayurveda, Small Molecules and Nanoparticles aided Approaches.

Despite extensive research, there is an unmet need for developing disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD). Failure of certain landmark clinical trials has highlighted the need for a better understanding of the disease pathogenesis as well as identifying the hurdles in developing drug candidates and designing clinical trials. While adhering to these needs, several promising trials are currently underway with the hope of developing reliable targets.

Apoptotic Factors and Mitochondrial Complexes Assist Determination of Strain-Specific Susceptibility of Mice to Parkinsonian Neurotoxin MPTP.

Identification of genetic mutations in Parkinson's disease (PD) promulgates the genetic nature of disease susceptibility. Resilience-associated genes being unknown till date, the normal genetic makeup of an individual may be determinative too. Our earlier studies comparing the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum of C57BL/6J, CD-1 mice, and their F1-crossbreds demonstrated the neuroprotective role of admixing against the neurotoxin MPTP.

Fibrinogen and Complement Factor H Are Promising CSF Protein Biomarkers for Parkinson's Disease with Cognitive Impairment─A Proteomics-ELISA-Based Study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) with cognitive impairment (PDCI) is essentially diagnosed through clinical and neuropsychological examinations. There is a need to identify biomarkers to foresee cognitive decline in them. We performed label-free unbiased nontargeted proteomics (Q-TOF LC/MS-MS) on the CSF of non-neurological control; PDCI; PD; and normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) patients, followed by targeted ELISA for validation.