Affiliation:
1. Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Physiology and Neurophysiology Eskisehir 26480, Turkey
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in adults over the age of
65. The characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as resting tremor, muscular rigidity, bradykinesia,
postural instability and gait imbalance, are thought to be a result of the progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic
neurons of the substantia nigra compacta, resulting in insufficient dopamine integrated signalling on
GABAergic medium spiny neurons in the striatum. Despite tremendous research, the molecular mechanisms
underlying the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease have remained largely unknown. Although
a variety of possible pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed over the years, including excessive
release of oxygen free radicals, impairment of mitochondrial function, loss of trophic support, abnormal kinase
activity, disruption of calcium homeostasis, dysfunction of protein degradation and neuroinflammation, the
pathogenesis is still largely uncertain, and there is currently no effective cure for Parkinson’s disease. To develop
potential therapies for Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory processes, mitochondrial dynamics, oxidative stress,
production of reactive aldehydes, excitotoxicity and synucleinopathies are to be targeted. In this respect, vasoactive
intestinal peptide has beneficial effects that provide an advantage for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide is a major neuropeptide-neurotransmitter having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
neurotropic, neuromodulator, and anti-apoptotic properties. In addition to its direct neuroprotective actions regulating
the activity of astrocytes, microglia and brain mast cells, it also plays important roles for neuronal adaptation,
maintenance and survival.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Drug Discovery,Pharmacology
Cited by
20 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献