Environmental Toxin Linked to Parkinson's

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Environmental Toxin Linked to Parkinson's

MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDayNews) -- Environmental toxins called proteasome

inhibitors cause a Parkinson's disease (news - web sites)-like movement

disorder in rats, according to new research.

The findings suggest that these natural toxins may contribute to the

development of Parkinson's in humans. Proteasome inhibitors are produced by

bacteria and fungi. Human-made proteasome inhibitors also find their way

into the environment.

" These results suggest that we should determine how widespread these toxins

are in the environment, how humans are exposed to them, and how such

exposures correlate with the incidence of Parkinson's disease, " study lead

author St. P. McNaught, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York,

said in a prepared statement.

The study appears in the online edition of the journal ls of Neurology.

In humans and other animals, proteasomes act like a garbage disposal system

by eliminating abnormal proteins from cells. There's growing evidence that

people with Parkinson's have defective proteasomes.

In this study, McNaught and his colleagues used both man-made and naturally

occurring proteasome inhibitors to interfere with proteasomes in laboratory

rats. Imaging of the rats' brains showed types of changes identical to that

seen in Parkinson's disease.

They began to display Parkinson's-like symptoms such as slowness of

movement, tremors, and rigidity.

" These symptoms gradually worsened over a period of months, and could be

reversed with drugs that are used to treat Parkinson's patients, " McNaught

said.

At autopsy, the rats' brains showed a reduction in levels of the brain

chemical dopamine, which undergoes a similar decline in Parkinson's

patients. Autopsy also revealed a pattern of nerve cell loss that closely

resembled Parkinson's.

More information

Learn more about the disorder from the National Parkinson Foundation.

Larkin, Executive Director

Mold Relief, Inc.

www.moldrelief.org

405-590-6372