A research group from Lomonosov Moscow State University, working alongside colleagues at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, has managed to produce a chemical compound capable of restoring motor functions in models of Parkinson’s disease across different organisms. The findings of the study have been published in the journal Bioorganic Chemistry.
Currently, medicine only offers drugs that alleviate the symptoms of the condition, which is why new therapeutic approaches based on the identified molecule are so crucial.
The authors of the study explain that the experiment demonstrated the new compound, designated OPA471, has low toxicity and a high capacity for restoring motor functions in a nematode model of parkinsonism.
Individuals exposed to the toxin showed a significant decrease in movement speed and impaired coordination. However, when OPA471 was introduced into the environment, their motor parameters, including distance traveled and motor speed, returned to levels observed in the healthy control group.
These results highlight the molecule’s strong therapeutic potential for designing treatments for neurodegenerative conditions, the researchers emphasize. The experiment was based on the synthetic compound serratin (AN2), an analog of the natural substance urolithin A.
This compound is abundant in pomegranates and strawberries and can trigger autophagy—the process of eliminating toxins that cause neuron death. Using this substance as a foundation, the experts have already synthesized a series of 27 new chemical compounds for further experiments.
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