- Researchers from the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), in collaboration with Lund University (Sweden) and Imperial College London, have identified a significant relationship between a protein called galectin-3 (gal3) and Parkinson's disease.
- According to the recently published results in the prestigious journal Acta Neuropathologica, galectin-3 plays a crucial role in the development and progression of this neurodegenerative disease, making it a potential therapeutic target of high interest for its treatment.
Sevilla, June 7th, 2023
The study was led by Dres. José Luis Venero (IBiS), Tomas Deierborg (Universidad de Lund) and Francesco A. Aprile (Imperial College London).
The research highlights the role of the gal3 protein in Parkinson's disease, known for the death of neurons responsible for coordinating movement. This protein is known to be involved in other neurodegenerative processes (such as Alzheimer's disease) and metabolic diseases, which expands its relevance in the field of medical research.
By studying the brains of deceased Parkinson's patients and transgenic mice without the gal3 protein, a direct association was demonstrated between the presence of gal3 and the formation of Lewy bodies, which are toxic protein aggregates that appear in neurons affected by Parkinson's disease. These findings are significant as transgenic mice without gal3, when subjected to a Parkinson's disease model, did not develop motor symptoms or experience neuron loss. "It is important to note that these mice did not develop any symptoms and maintained apparently healthy neurons, despite accumulating Lewy bodies. This indicates that by eliminating gal3, we were able to delay and slow down the progression of the pathology," emphasizes Dr. Juan García Revilla, author of the study and researcher in the Neuronal Aging group at the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS). ). "If we could translate these results to humans, it would be a significant advance in the treatment of Parkinson's, as there are currently no therapies that can change or delay the progression of the disease. We are confident that the relevance of gal3 in humans is also high, as this protein is widely present in the brains of Parkinson's patients."
This discovery opens new perspectives for the development of therapies targeted at the gal3 protein, which opens the door to new possibilities in the management, mitigation, and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Image 1- Galectin-3 (in green) surrounds and interacts with a Lewy body in humans (in red)
The path towards a potential treatment
"The animal model has been a pleasant surprise due to the complete neuronal protection that we observed," reaffirms Dr. Juan García Revilla. However, the development of a potential treatment is still a long way off. "We believe that a treatment targeting galectin-3 could be tremendously useful for the disease. If the effects are replicated in animals, symptomatic treatments could be effective for more years, and the patient could maintain a better quality of life."
However, the expert explains that there is still much to learn about Parkinson's disease: "We are unaware of the causes that initiate Parkinson's, but our discovery helps to understand more about the progression of the pathology and the relationship between Lewy bodies and neuronal death. At the same time, we have demonstrated that it is possible to dissociate both aspects and protect neurons during the disease."
As the researcher explains, there are already drugs targeted against galectin-3 for other diseases. "Our previous study on Alzheimer's disease has served as the basis for a clinical trial targeting gal3, which is currently showing great promise, although it is in very early stages. We are confident that a similar trial could have a significant impact on Parkinson's disease. This study represents a major step in our understanding of the disease, but of course, there is still much work to be done," concludes the expert.
The study has been nationally funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Reference:
Galectin-3 shapes toxic alpha-synuclein strains in Parkinson's disease
DOI: 10.1007/s00401-023-02585-x
Imagen 2- (From left to right) - Antonio Boza Serrano, Jesús Soldán Hidalgo, Jose Luis Venero Recio, Juan García Revilla and Rocío Ruiz Laza, members of the Neuronal Aging group at the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville.
