Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a detrimental neurodegenerative disease that affects approximately one million Americans. The disease is categorized by involuntary muscle spasms, known as tremors. These tremors are caused by low levels of dopamine in the central nervous system, which are primarily caused by the formation of Lewy bodies in neurons. Lewy bodies are comprised of aggregated protein. Current medications seek only to treat the symptoms of PD and are not very efficient. One hypothesis deems reactive oxygen species (ROS), produced in malfunctioning mitochondria, as the causative agents of Lewy Body formation. These have been shown to oxidize proteins, leading to their aggregation. A known protein involved in PD is α –synuclein and it is known to form aggregated fibrils when misfolded. Current research is being conducted to discover if antioxidants could play a key role in reducing ROS, as well as the protein aggregation in PD. The goal of this project is to screen previously untested antioxidant compounds for their potential efficacy towards preventing α –synuclein fibril formation <i>in vitro.</i>

Effects of antioxidant compounds on α-synuclein fibril formation in Parkinson’s disease <i>in vitro</i>

251st National Meeting (2016)

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Effects of antioxidant compounds on α-synuclein fibril formation in Parkinson’s disease in vitro