Authors: Emmanuel A. Ojo-Amaize, Howard B. Cottam.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an idiopathic, relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative and chronic inflammatory disease caused by the accumulation of pathologic α-synuclein leading to neuronal death by apoptosis/mitophagy, chronic inflammation, abnormal calcium transport into cells and oxidative damage. Hypoestoxide (HE), is a natural diterpene extracted and purified from the Nigerian shrub Hypoestes rosea (Acanthaceae). HE has been shown to induce apoptosis, inhibit nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation leading to the inhibition of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), inhibit oxidative damage via the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway which is a transcription factor that induces anti-oxidant response genes, activate Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- γ (PPAR-γ) leading to enhanced apoptosis and autophagy/mitophagy and inhibit α-synuclein accumulation. The accumulation of pathologic α-synuclein is said to be the eventual cause of neuronal death. These various molecular targets make HE an ideal candidate drug for eliminating the underlying cause and pathological features of PD.
View/Download pdf