miR-7 replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease.

miR-7 replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease. Curr Gene Ther. 2018 Apr 30;: Authors: Titze-de-Almeida R, Titze-de-Almeida SS Abstract The present review examines whether the microRNA 7 (miR-7) holds potential for slowing Parkinson's disease (PD) progression. First, the accurate expression of miR-7 allows for the normal development, physiology, and neurogenesis in the central nervous system, also keeping alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) at the physiological level. Second, patients with PD and parkinsonian MPTP-induced animals exhibit a significant decrease of miR-7 in brain areas associated with dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Depletion of miR-7 in the substantia nigra of clinical samples was related to α-Syn accumulation, loss of dopaminergic cells, and reduction of dopamine in the striatum. Therefore, the goal of a miR-7-replacement therapy is to downregulate α-Syn and other PD-related genes, achieving multi-target benefits regarding oxidative stress, mitochondrial health, cell glycolysis, apoptosis, and inhibition of inflammasome activation. While a disease-modifying drug is a major unmet need for the clinical management of PD, a miR-7-replacement therapy presents a striking potential against critical mechanisms of neuropathology. Such innovative treatment would reduce α-Syn accumulation in the Lewy bodies and preserve remaining neurons yet viable at the time of diagnosis, thus slowing disease progression from the early phase of PD ...
Source: Current Gene Therapy - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Curr Gene Ther Source Type: research