scholarly journals The Nrf2/ARE Pathway: A Promising Target to Counteract Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemal Ugur Tufekci ◽  
Ezgi Civi Bayin ◽  
Sermin Genc ◽  
Kursad Genc

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a prominent feature of various neurodegenerative diseases as strict regulation of integrated mitochondrial functions is essential for neuronal signaling, plasticity, and transmitter release. Many lines of evidence suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Several PD-associated genes interface with mitochondrial dynamics regulating the structure and function of the mitochondrial network. Mitochondrial dysfunction can induce neuron death through a plethora of mechanisms. Both mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation, a common denominator of PD, lead to an increased production of reactive oxygen species, which are detrimental to neurons. The transcription factor nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2, NFE2L2) is an emerging target to counteract mitochondrial dysfunction and its consequences in PD. Nrf2 activates the antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway, including a battery of cytoprotective genes such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory genes and several transcription factors involved in mitochondrial biogenesis. Here, the current knowledge about the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in PD, Nrf2/ARE stress-response mechanisms, and the evidence for specific links between this pathway and PD are summarized. The neuroprotection of nigral dopaminergic neurons by the activation of Nrf2 through several inducers in PD is also emphasized as a promising therapeutic approach.

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Filipa Barroso Gonçalves ◽  
Vanessa Alexandra Morais

Mitochondria are known as highly dynamic organelles essential for energy production. Intriguingly, in the recent years, mitochondria have revealed the ability to maintain cell homeostasis and ultimately regulate cell fate. This regulation is achieved by evoking mitochondrial quality control pathways that are capable of sensing the overall status of the cellular environment. In a first instance, actions to maintain a robust pool of mitochondria take place; however, if unsuccessful, measures that lead to overall cell death occur. One of the central key players of these mitochondrial quality control pathways is PINK1 (PTEN-induce putative kinase), a mitochondrial targeted kinase. PINK1 is known to interact with several substrates to regulate mitochondrial functions, and not only is responsible for triggering mitochondrial clearance via mitophagy, but also participates in maintenance of mitochondrial functions and homeostasis, under healthy conditions. Moreover, PINK1 has been associated with the familial form of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Growing evidence has strongly linked mitochondrial homeostasis to the central nervous system (CNS), a system that is replenished with high energy demanding long-lasting neuronal cells. Moreover, sporadic cases of PD have also revealed mitochondrial impairments. Thus, one could speculate that mitochondrial homeostasis is the common denominator in these two forms of the disease, and PINK1 may play a central role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. In this review, we will discuss the role of PINK1 in the mitochondrial physiology and scrutinize its role in the cascade of PD pathology.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela M. Arduíno ◽  
A. Raquel Esteves ◽  
Sandra M. Cardoso

Understanding the molecular basis of Parkinson's disease (PD) has proven to be a major challenge in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Although several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of PD, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and the disruption of the mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics in PD and other parkinsonian disorders. In this paper, we comment on the recent advances in how changes in the mitochondrial function and mitochondrial dynamics (fusion/fission, transport, and clearance) contribute to neurodegeneration, specifically focusing on PD. We also evaluate the current controversies in those issues and discuss the role of fusion/fission dynamics in the mitochondrial lifecycle and maintenance. We propose that cellular demise and neurodegeneration in PD are due to the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, mitochondrial trafficking disruption, and impaired autophagic clearance.


Author(s):  
Francois Singh ◽  
Ian G. Ganley

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects around 2% of individuals over 60 years old. It is characterised by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the midbrain, which is thought to account for the major clinical symptoms such as tremor, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness. Its aetiology is poorly understood as the physiological and molecular mechanisms leading to this neuronal loss are currently unclear. However, mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction seem to play a central role in this disease. In recent years, defective mitochondrial elimination through autophagy, termed mitophagy, has emerged as a potential contributing factor to disease pathology. PINK1 and Parkin, two proteins mutated in familial PD, were found to eliminate mitochondria under distinct mitochondrial depolarisation-induced stress. However, PINK1 and Parkin are not essential for all types of mitophagy and such pathways occur in most cell types and tissues in vivo, even in the absence of overt mitochondrial stress — so-called basal mitophagy. The most common mutation in PD, that of glycine at position 2019 to serine in the protein kinase LRRK2, results in increased activity and this was recently shown to disrupt basal mitophagy in vivo. Thus, different modalities of mitophagy are affected by distinct proteins implicated in PD, suggesting impaired mitophagy may be a common denominator for the disease. In this short review, we discuss the current knowledge about the link between PD pathogenic mutations and mitophagy, with a particular focus on LRRK2.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 918
Author(s):  
Heng-Chung Kung ◽  
Kai-Jung Lin ◽  
Chia-Te Kung ◽  
Tsu-Kung Lin

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and is characterized by dopaminergic neuronal loss. The exact pathogenesis of PD is complex and not yet completely understood, but research has established the critical role mitochondrial dysfunction plays in the development of PD. As the main producer of cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondria are particularly susceptible to oxidative stress once an imbalance between ROS generation and the organelle’s antioxidative system occurs. An overabundance of ROS in the mitochondria can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and further vicious cycles. Once enough damage accumulates, the cell may undergo mitochondria-dependent apoptosis or necrosis, resulting in the neuronal loss of PD. Polyphenols are a group of natural compounds that have been shown to offer protection against various diseases, including PD. Among these, the plant-derived polyphenol, resveratrol, exhibits neuroprotective effects through its antioxidative capabilities and provides mitochondria protection. Resveratrol also modulates crucial genes involved in antioxidative enzymes regulation, mitochondrial dynamics, and cellular survival. Additionally, resveratrol offers neuroprotective effects by upregulating mitophagy through multiple pathways, including SIRT-1 and AMPK/ERK pathways. This compound may provide potential neuroprotective effects, and more clinical research is needed to establish the efficacy of resveratrol in clinical settings.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Protter ◽  
Charmaine Lang ◽  
Antony A. Cooper

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a complex, chronic, progressive, and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Neither a cure nor effective long-term therapy exist and the lack of knowledge of the molecular mechanisms responsible for PD development is a major impediment to therapeutic advances. The protein αSynuclein is a central component in PD pathogenesis yet its cellular targets and mechanism of toxicity remains unknown. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also a common theme in PD patients and this review explores the strong possibility that αSynuclein and mitochondrial dysfunction have an inter-relationship responsible for underlying the disease pathology. Amplifying cycles of mitochondrial dysfunction and αSynuclein toxicity can be envisaged, with either being the disease-initiating factor yet acting together during disease progression. Multiple potential mechanisms exist in which mitochondrial dysfunction and αSynuclein could interact to exacerbate their neurodegenerative properties. Candidates discussed within this review include autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics/fusion/fission, oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species, endoplasmic reticulum stress, calcium, nitrosative stress and αSynuclein Oligomerization.


Author(s):  
Wen Li ◽  
YuHong Fu ◽  
Glenda M. Halliday ◽  
Carolyn M. Sue

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. The disease is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and spread of Lewy pathology (α-synuclein aggregates) in the brain but the pathogenesis remains elusive. PD presents substantial clinical and genetic variability. Although its complex etiology and pathogenesis has hampered the breakthrough in targeting disease modification, recent genetic tools advanced our approaches. As such, mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a major pathogenic hub for both familial and sporadic PD. In this review, we summarize the effect of mutations in 11 PARK genes (SNCA, PRKN, PINK1, DJ-1, LRRK2, ATP13A2, PLA2G6, FBXO7, VPS35, CHCHD2, and VPS13C) on mitochondrial function as well as their relevance in the formation of Lewy pathology. Overall, these genes play key roles in mitochondrial homeostatic control (biogenesis and mitophagy) and functions (e.g., energy production and oxidative stress), which may crosstalk with the autophagy pathway, induce proinflammatory immune responses, and increase oxidative stress that facilitate the aggregation of α-synuclein. Thus, rectifying mitochondrial dysregulation represents a promising therapeutic approach for neuroprotection in PD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenlong Zhang ◽  
Junwei Gong ◽  
Liuyan Ding ◽  
Zhiling Zhang ◽  
Xiaowen Pan ◽  
...  

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by Lewy body formation and progressive dopaminergic neuron death in the substantia nigra (SN). Genetic susceptibility is a strong risk factor for PD. Previously, a rare gain-of-function variant of GLUD2 glutamate dehydrogenase (T1492G) was reported to be associated with early onset in male PD patients; however, the function and underlying mechanism of this variant remains elusive. In the present study, we generated adeno-associated virus expressing GLUD2 and its mutant under the control of the glial fibrillary acidic protein promotor and injected the virus into the SN pars compacta of either untreated mice or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD model mice. Our results demonstrate that GLUD2 mutation in MPTP-induced PD mice exacerbates movement deficits and nigral dopaminergic neuron death and reduces glutamate transporters expression and function. Using GC-Q-TOF/MS-based metabolomics, we determined that GLUD2 mutation damages mitochondrial function by decreasing succinate dehydrogenase activity to impede the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the SN of MPTP-induced PD mice. Accordingly, GLUD2 mutant mice had reduced energy metabolism and increased apoptosis, possibly due to downregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 signaling in in vitro and in vivo PD models. Collectively, our findings verify the function of GLUD2 in PD and unravel a mechanism by which a genetic variant in human GLUD2 may contribute to disease onset.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Yang Huang ◽  
Kalaiselvi Sivalingam ◽  
Marthandam Asokan Shibu ◽  
Po-Hsiang Liao ◽  
Tsung-Jung Ho ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial dysfunction and disturbed mitochondrial dynamics were found to be common phenomena in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Vasicinone is a quinazoline alkaloid from Adhatoda vasica. Here, we investigated the autophagy/mitophagy-enhancing effect of vasicinone and explored its neuroprotective mechanism in paraquat-mimic PD modal in SH-SY5Y cells. Vasicinone rescued the paraquat-induced loss of cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential. Subsequently, the accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) was balanced by an increase in the expression of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, vasicinone restored paraquat-impaired autophagy and mitophagy regulators DJ-1, PINK-1 and Parkin in SH-SY5Y cells. The vasicinone mediated autophagy pathways were abrogated by treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, which lead to increases α-synuclein accumulation and decreased the expression of p-ULK and ATG proteins and the autophagy marker LC3-II compared to that observed without 3-MA treatment. These results demonstrated that vasicinone exerted neuroprotective effects by upregulating autophagy and PINK-1/Parkin mediated mitophagy in SH-SY5Y cells.


2012 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 830-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinglong Wang ◽  
Timothy G. Petrie ◽  
Yingchao Liu ◽  
Jun Liu ◽  
Hisashi Fujioka ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baojian Guo ◽  
Chengyou Zheng ◽  
Jie Cao ◽  
Shangming Li ◽  
Fangcheng Luo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) and Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) are key regulators controlling antioxidant defense, mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular proteostasis. Dysfunction of these processes has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Activation of PGC-1α/Nrf2 might improve mitochondrial dysfunction, promote α-synuclein (α-syn) clearance and attenuate degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons in PD. Methods: Neurotoxin-induced in vitro PD model, 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice model, unilateral intrastriatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat model, and transgenic mice overexpression of human A53T mutant α-synuclein were used to evaluate the neuroprotective and neurorescue effect of tetramethylpyrazine nitrone (TBN), a free radical scavenger, and its regulation on PGC-1α/Nrf2 pathway. Results: TBN protected against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP + ) and 6-OHDA insult in cultured primary midbrain neurons. TBN promoted α-syn clearance by autophagy and proteasomal pathways in cell models overexpressing the human A53T mutant α-syn. In MPTP-treated mice, unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rats, and the α-syn transgenic mice model, TBN improved motor impairment, increased survival of nigral dopaminergic neurons, and elevated striatal dopamine levels while decreasing the products of oxidative damage. Importantly, TBN down-regulated the α-syn level in the brain and serum of α-syn-transgenic mice. These in vitro and in vivo improvements were associated with activation of the PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling pathway, resulting in reduced oxidative stress, and enhanced mitochondrial functions. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that TBN activates PGC-1α/Nrf2 and increases the survival of nigral dopaminergic neurons. These results suggest that TBN warrants further development as a potential new PD treatment.


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