Professor Kim Min-kyo's team at Gyeongsang National University Hospital presents a new treatment strategy for Parkinson's disease
Jul 03, 2024
In a recent paper published by a research team led by Professor Kim Min-kyo of Rheumatology at Gyeongsang National University Hospital (Hospital Director Ahn Sung-ki) in collaboration with Professor Yoon Seung-pil of the Gyeongsang National University's Pharmacology Class, it revealed the possibility of autoimmune diseases in Parkinson's disease by identifying the effect of alpha-synuclein peptide-induced autoimmune responses on Parkinson's disease pathology and suggested new treatment strategies.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with symptoms such as dopamine nerve cell loss, tremors at rest, muscle stiffness, slow motion, and posture instability.
Representative features of Parkinson's disease include alpha-synuclein aggregates accumulated in the body of neurons in various brain regions, which are closely related to the death of dopamine neurons.
To date, the exact cause of Parkinson's disease has not yet been identified, but recent studies have shown that neuroinflammation, especially immune responses such as activated microglia, astrocytes, and inflammatory cytokines, greatly affect the death of dopamine neurons and the progression of Parkinson's disease.
Professor Kim Min-kyo's research team first induced an autoimmune response by administering alpha-synuclein peptides in animal models, and as a result, they observed that nerve cell death and nerve inflammation intensified in animal models where autoimmune responses were triggered.
In addition, the team analyzed the response of specific immune cells to alpha-synuclein peptides and confirmed that these immune cells play a direct role in neuronal damage, suggesting that alpha-synuclein peptide-induced autoimmune responses are closely related to neuronal loss, a major pathological feature of Parkinson's disease.
Professor Kim Min-kyo "The results of this study strongly indicate that Parkinson's disease is likely to be an autoimmune disease, not just a neurodegenerative disease. This presents a new treatment direction that is different from the existing Parkinson's disease treatment strategy and opens the possibility of developing Parkinson's disease treatments through autoimmune response control. "We plan to focus on developing new immunomodulatory treatments for Parkinson's disease, which is expected to contribute to improving the quality of life and treatment of Parkinson's disease patients." he said.
Meanwhile, the study was conducted with the support of the Korea Research Foundation, and Professor Yoon Seung-pil of Gyeongsang National University's pharmacology class, Professor Lee Dong-geun of physiology class, Professor Kim Min-kyo of rheumatology at Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Professor Kim Sung-jae of ophthalmology, Professor Yoo Woong-sun of ophthalmology, and Professor Kim Min-kyung of neurology are participating. A related research paper was published in the July 2024 issue of the Journal of Autoimmunity: 'Journal of Autoimmunity, 5-Year Impact Factor: 9.8, SCIE Class', a global scientific journal and a journal within the top 10% of the Journal Citation Index (JCI) criteria.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with symptoms such as dopamine nerve cell loss, tremors at rest, muscle stiffness, slow motion, and posture instability.
Representative features of Parkinson's disease include alpha-synuclein aggregates accumulated in the body of neurons in various brain regions, which are closely related to the death of dopamine neurons.
To date, the exact cause of Parkinson's disease has not yet been identified, but recent studies have shown that neuroinflammation, especially immune responses such as activated microglia, astrocytes, and inflammatory cytokines, greatly affect the death of dopamine neurons and the progression of Parkinson's disease.
Professor Kim Min-kyo's research team first induced an autoimmune response by administering alpha-synuclein peptides in animal models, and as a result, they observed that nerve cell death and nerve inflammation intensified in animal models where autoimmune responses were triggered.
In addition, the team analyzed the response of specific immune cells to alpha-synuclein peptides and confirmed that these immune cells play a direct role in neuronal damage, suggesting that alpha-synuclein peptide-induced autoimmune responses are closely related to neuronal loss, a major pathological feature of Parkinson's disease.
Professor Kim Min-kyo "The results of this study strongly indicate that Parkinson's disease is likely to be an autoimmune disease, not just a neurodegenerative disease. This presents a new treatment direction that is different from the existing Parkinson's disease treatment strategy and opens the possibility of developing Parkinson's disease treatments through autoimmune response control. "We plan to focus on developing new immunomodulatory treatments for Parkinson's disease, which is expected to contribute to improving the quality of life and treatment of Parkinson's disease patients." he said.
Meanwhile, the study was conducted with the support of the Korea Research Foundation, and Professor Yoon Seung-pil of Gyeongsang National University's pharmacology class, Professor Lee Dong-geun of physiology class, Professor Kim Min-kyo of rheumatology at Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Professor Kim Sung-jae of ophthalmology, Professor Yoo Woong-sun of ophthalmology, and Professor Kim Min-kyung of neurology are participating. A related research paper was published in the July 2024 issue of the Journal of Autoimmunity: 'Journal of Autoimmunity, 5-Year Impact Factor: 9.8, SCIE Class', a global scientific journal and a journal within the top 10% of the Journal Citation Index (JCI) criteria.
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