New Study Suggests Shark Compound Could Be Used To Treat Parkinson’s

There are up to 1 million people in the United States living with Parkinson’s

disease. About 60,000 people each year are diagnosed with the disease. Parkinson’s

disease is a progressive condition characterized by movement problems,

tremors, limb stiffness and problems with coordination and balance.

 It remains unclear what exactly causes Parkinson’s disease, but studies have shown

that a buildup of the protein alpha- synuclein in the brain could contribute to its development. A new study published in

the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that a chemical compound

found in dogfish sharks may be able to treat Parkinson’s disease.

The chemical compound is called squalamine, and it may be able to reduce the formation of toxic proteins associated with

the development of Parkinson’s disease. The results of the study showed that in

roundworm models of Parkinson’s disease and human neuronal cells, squalamine

halted the toxicity and buildup of alpha- synuclein.

For the first step of the study, the researchers conducted several in vitro

experiments to observe the way squalamine interacts with alpha-synuclein and lipid vesicles. According to previous studies,

vesicles trigger the buildup of alpha- synuclein in neurons.

The team found that by preventing the protein from binding to negatively charged

lipid vesicles, squalamine was able to halt alpha-synuclein buildup. This is important

because the negatively charged lipid vesicles are where alpha-synuclein

aggregates usually form.

Then, the team applied squalamine to human neuronal cells, which had been

exposed to pre-formed alpha-synuclein aggregates. They found that squalamine

prevented alpha-synuclein aggregates from binding to the outer membrane of the cells,

thus stopping the toxicity of the protein.

The next step of the experiment was testing squalamine on the roundworm

Caenorhabditis elegans. This roundworm is an ideal experimental model for human

disease because according to the first whole-genome sequencing study of

Caenorhabditis elegans, these roundworms share at least 40 percent of their genes with

humans. 

This makes them a useful experimental model for human disease. The researchers

in this study genetically modified the Caenorhabditis elegans in order to

overexpress alpha-synuclein in their muscle cells. This would lead them to become

paralyzed as they developed.

However, the researchers found that when they administered squalamine to the

Caenorhabditis elegans orally, the compound stopped alpha-synuclein

aggregates from forming.

This study may have a big impact on the way doctors treat Parkinson’s disease in the

future. The researchers believe that this study suggests that the buildup of alpha-

synuclein has the potential to be prevented using squalamine. The team is currently

organizing a clinical trial to test the compound in people with Parkinson’s

disease.

The team notes, however, that before squalamine can be considered a possible

treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a number of questions should be addressed

through future research. One unanswered question is whether squalamine can target

areas of the brain that are susceptible to alpha-synuclein buildup when it is taken

orally.

 However, researchers suggest that squalamine could offer benefits through the

gut. Study co-author Professor Michele Vendruscolo says that targeting alpha-

synuclein in the gut may be helpful in delaying the progress of other aspects of the

disease, particularly for symptoms concerning the peripheral nervous system.

It will be interesting to see what future studies find. Hopefully, squalamine will one

day be able to treat Parkinson’s disease, a disease that affects so many Americans.