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Thanks to stem cells, scientists can now study the effect of chemicals on the causes of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s is a brain disease whose cause is still largely unknown. However, epidemiologists do see a relationship with toxins in the environment, such as pesticides, heavy metals or certain drugs, such as crystal meth. Scientists from the universities of Maastricht (UM) and Leuven have now developed a successful way to model Parkinson’s using stem cells. This makes it possible to study the effects of these environmental factors on the development of the disease. The researchers also think they will be able to use the model to search for protective nutrients or medicines. Their findings were recently published in the leading scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Stem cells

Using stem cells from human skin, the scientists have succeeded in generating new nerve cells, or neurons. These cells are the building blocks of the brain, specialised in transferring information among themselves and to other cells in the body, such as muscle cells. To do so, they use dopamine, a neurotransmitter or ‘messenger substance’, which is therefore crucial to processes such as movement or thought. In people with Parkinson’s, neurons gradually die off in the substantia nigra, a part of the brainstem that produces dopamine. One chemical that can cause this neuron death is a neurotoxin called MPP⁺, a synthesized drug that was first manufactured in a clandestine lab in the 1970s. The researchers therefore administered MPP⁺ to their freshly generated, dopamine-producing nerve cells. Based on the gene expression of the cells and by comparing this data with gene expression patterns in the substantia nigra of deceased Parkinson’s patients, the scientists were able to deduce that MPP⁺ does indeed trigger the molecular effects known to occur in Parkinson’s disease. They now intend to use the stem cell model to see whether certain drugs could counteract the pathogenic effect of chemical substances such as MPP⁺.

Toxins

Epidemiologists have long suspected a causal link between Parkinson’s and toxins in the environment, such as pesticides, heavy metals or drugs such as crystal meth – it is not for nothing that it has been described as a ‘man-made disease’. The scientists plan to use their model to study the effects of these types of environmental factors on the development of Parkinson’s. ‘Our study shows that stem cell-derived dopamine-producing neurons can shed light on the harmful processes that are involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease at molecular level,’ says UM researcher Julian Krauskopf. ‘This will improve our understanding of the disease and potentially lead to new treatment strategies. The model could also be used to screen new drugs to treat Parkinson’s and study the effects of environmental factors on disease risk, which could potentially lead to preventive measures.’

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