Nicotine suppresses Parkinson's disease like phenotypes induced by Synphilin-1 overexpression in Drosophila melanogaster by increasing tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine levels.

ABSTRACT: It has been observed that there is a lower Parkinson's disease (PD) incidence in tobacco users. Nicotine is a cholinergic agonist and is the principal psychoactive compound in tobacco linked to cigarette addiction. Different studies have shown that nicotine has beneficial effects on sporadic and genetic models of PD. In this work we evaluate nicotine's protective effect in a Drosophila melanogaster model for PD where Synphilin-1 (Sph-1) is expressed in dopaminergic neurons. Nicotine has a moderate effect on dopaminergic neuron survival that becomes more evident as flies age. Nicotine is beneficial on fly survival and motility increasing tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine levels, suggesting that cholinergic agonists may promote survival and metabolic function of the dopaminergic neurons that

SUBMITTER: Carvajal-Oliveros A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8099903 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature