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Farnesol, naturally found in herbs, berries and other fruits, has the ability to prevent and reverse damage to the brain caused by Parkinson’s disease.
It is always good to eat fruit. American scientists at Johns Hopkins University have found that one of these natural compounds, farnesol, which is also found in thrush and orange blossom, would prevent and reverse brain damage from the disease. of Parkinson’s. They presented their results in a study that appeared July 28 in the journal Science Translational Medicine .
A promising treatment
One of the main causes of Parkinson’s disease is the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Farnesol, also used in flavorings and in the manufacture of perfumes, is said to prevent this phenomenon by deactivating Paris, a key protein involved in the progression of the disease. The destruction of these neurons affects movement and cognition, resulting in symptoms characteristic of Parkinson’s disease such as tremors, muscle stiffness, confusion and dementia.
For the researchers, the ability of farnesol to block the Parkin interaction substrate (PARIS) could guide the development of new interventions against Parkinson’s disease that specifically target this protein. “Our experiments showed that farnesol significantly prevented the loss of dopaminergic neurons and reversed behavioral deficits in mice, indicating that it shows promise as a potential drug therapy to prevent Parkinson’s disease,” said Ted Dawson, lead author of the study.
Protect the brain from the build-up of PARIS
In detail, in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, a build-up of Paris proteins slows down the production of a protective protein, PGC-1alpha, which protects brain cells from damage caused by reactive oxygen molecules that build up in the brain. Without PGC-1alpha, dopaminergic neurons die, resulting in the cognitive and physical changes associated with Parkinson’s disease.
To study whether farnesol could protect the brain from the effects of the build-up of PARIS, the researchers fed mice either a diet supplemented with this molecule or a normal diet for a week. Then the researchers gave them preformed fibrils of the protein alpha-synuclein, which is associated with the effects of Parkinson’s disease in the brain.
Deux fois plus de neurones dopaminergiques sains
Les chercheurs ont constaté que les souris soumises au régime au farnésol obtenaient de meilleurs résultats lors d’un test de force et de coordination conçu pour détecter les changements dans les symptômes de la maladie de Parkinson. En moyenne, les souris ont obtenu de meilleurs résultats que les souris auxquelles on avait injecté de l’alpha-synucléine mais qui étaient nourries avec un régime normal. Lorsque les chercheurs ont ensuite étudié les tissus cérébraux des souris des deux groupes, ils ont constaté que les souris nourries avec un régime enrichi en farnésol avaient deux fois plus de neurones dopaminergiques sains. Elles ont également environ 55 % de plus de protéine protectrice PGC-1alpha dans leur cerveau que les souris non traitées.
