Parkinson's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Parkinson's Disease, including details on symptoms, treatment, genetics, medication.

Effect of metals on herbicides-alpha-synuclein association: a possible factor in neurodegenerative disease studied by capillary electrophoresis.

André C, Truong TT, Robert JF, Guillaume YC

Equipe des Sciences Séparatives et Biopharmaceutiques (2SB/EA 3924), Faculté de Medecine-Pharmacie, Place Saint Jacques, Besançon, France.

The aggregation of alpha-synuclein in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra is a critical step in the Parkinson's disease (PD). The etiology of the disease is unknown but recent epidemiological and experimental studies have renewed interest in the hypothesis that environmental factors, especially herbicides and metals, have a role on the pathogenesis of PD. For the first time, the association constants of alpha-synuclein with five herbicides have been calculated using a capillary electrophoresis (CE) method. In addition, the effect of a number of metals on this binding has been investigated. It appears that the herbicides preferentially bind to a partially folded intermediate conformation of alpha-synuclein induced by manganese, aluminium, cadmium, copper and zinc. Then, metal increases the synuclein-herbicide association. However, this study shows contrasting actions with the antibiotic rifampicin and magnesium addition leading to a decrease of the alpha-synuclein-herbicide interaction even if other metals are present in the bulk solvent. Considering epidemiological studies, all these results suggest an underlying molecular basis for PD and related body diseases.

Published 19 September 2005 in Electrophoresis, 26(17): 3256-64.
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