Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) Mohali, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have showed that nano-formulation of melatonin -- the hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness -- could provide therapeutic solution for Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's
disease (PD) is one of the most common neurological disorders caused by the
death of dopamine-secreting neurons in the brain due to aggregation of
synuclein protein inside it.
Available
medications can only minimise the symptoms but cannot cure the disease and this
underlines the need to develop better therapeutic solutions for the disease.
Previous
studies have shown the implications of Parkinson’s related genes in governing a
quality control mechanism called "Mitophagy". This mechanism
identifies and removes dysfunctional mitochondria as well as cuts down
oxidative stress.
It has shown
that melatonin, used to treat insomnia, could be a potential inducer of
mitophagy to mitigate Parkinson’s.
To decode
the molecular mechanism behind melatonin-mediated oxidative stress regulation,
the team from INST Mohali used human serum albumin nano-formulation and
delivered the drug to the brain.
The team led
by Dr. Surajit Karmakar used a biocompatible protein (HSA) nanocarrier for the
delivery of melatonin to the brain. They proved that the nano-melatonin
resulted in a sustained release of melatonin and improved bioavailability.
Further, the
nano-melatonin boosted antioxidative and neuroprotective properties. It not
only enhanced mitophagy to remove unhealthy mitochondria, but also improved
mitochondrial biogenesis to counteract a pesticide (rotenone) induced toxicity
in an in vitro Parkinson’s model.
The
improvement is because of the sustained release of melatonin and targeted
delivery to the brain resulting in increased therapeutic efficacy compared to
bare melatonin.
The
increased antioxidative effect is a result of mitophagy induction through the
upregulation of a crucial epigenetic regulator called BMI1 that controls gene
expression. The reduction in oxidative stress contributes to alleviating the
symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Their
findings published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
highlighted the significantly better in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective
effect of nano-melatonin as well as the molecular/cellular dynamics it
influences to regulate mitophagy.
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