FARNESOL, A COMPONENT OF CERTAIN ESSENTIAL OILS, ADVANTAGEOUS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Edited by, JASPER VICTORIA

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder in which there is progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain, associated with difficulties in movements, rigidity, tremors, etc.

A protein PARIS (PARkin-Interacting Substrate) being identified to be involved in the death of dopaminergic neurons in parkinson's disease, the researchers began to screen for substances that are capable of inhibiting the PARIS protein.

The destructive activity of PARIS is associated with its ability to drive low the production of PGC-1 α (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Gamma Coactivator -1 alpha), a protective protein that shields the neurons, especially the dopaminergic neurons from being assaulted by oxygen free radicals.

It was explicit that increased or certain levels of PARIS lowers the  levels of PGC-1 α which all leads to degeneration of neurons, and it is therefore necessary to reduce the levels of, or inhibit the PARIS protein.

In the screening process for drugs or substances having PARIS inhibitory potential, Farnesol, a component of certain essential oils such as balsam, citronella and lemon grass oils were recognized to potentially inhibit the neuro-destructive protein PARIS, altering it by a chemical process known as farnesylation.

The researchers conducted trials with the farnesol substances in mice models after observing reduced levels of farnesylated PARIS during post mortem of dead PD patients.

The researchers divided the mice into two groups of which one group were fed with farnesol supplements in addition to their normal diet and the other were to be fed only their normal diet for a week. Later when they were evaluated after injecting their brains with α-synuclein, the component causative of PD, the performance of the farnesol supplemented mice were far much better than those that were on only the normal diet, which insisted the fact that the farnesol supplemented mice had double the healthy neurons, i.e., 55% more healthy neurons which were protected by the PGC-1 α, due to the farnesylation of PARIS, as the mice that were only on normal diet.

On observing the change in the shape of PARIS protein in reaction with farnesol, rendering it impotent to lower the levels of the shielding protein PGC-1 α, they are proceeding towards the clinical trials with farnesol substances and development of drugs having the ability to enhance the protein PGC-1 α, or to drive low the PARIS protein.