A team at Massachusetts General Hospital found that low doses of carbon monoxide inhaled through cigarette smoke protected neurons from damage and prevented the buildup of a protein associated with Parkinson’s disease in the brain. It was published In the journal Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
Researchers focused on studying carbon monoxide, which is normally produced in the body during stress. Carbon monoxide is also one of the main components of cigarette smoke.
Scientists tested the effects of carbon monoxide in rodents with a human Parkinson’s disease analogue. They gave the mice a low dose of carbon monoxide, taken orally as a drug comparable to the effects of cigarettes. The results showed that carbon monoxide prevented the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein in the brain.
When the concentration of this protein increases, it begins to stick together and form so-called aggregates that cause malfunctions in brain cells and cause diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and some types of dementia. Low doses of carbon monoxide activate signaling pathways that limit oxidative stress and destroy alpha-synuclein.
Based on the research, scientists plan to begin clinical trials involving people with Parkinson’s disease, who will also be given small doses of carbon monoxide by mouth.
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Source: Gazeta
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