Dietary Restriction Prevents Loss Of Neurons In Mice With Parkinson's
Disease
WESTPORT, Jul 26, 1999 (Reuters Health) - Dietary restriction may help delay
the progression of Parkinson's disease by protecting dopaminergic neurons
against oxidative stress, according to the results of a US study.
In the July 15th issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Research, Drs. Wenzhen
Duan and Mark P. Mattson, of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, report
a "striking beneficial effect" of dietary restriction in a mouse model of
Parkinson's disease.
For 3 months, the investigators fed mice a normal diet or a restricted diet
that they estimate provided 30% to 40% fewer calories. They then
administered 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), which
induces Parkinson's disease-like pathology and behavioral symptoms in mice.
Within 24-hours of MPTP administration, mice in both groups demonstrated
significant motor function impairment. In mice fed a normal diet, the
impairment persisted until the animals were killed 7 days later, but in
diet-restricted mice, "...motor function recovered to near normal levels by
the 48-hr time point."
Moreover, significantly fewer dopaminergic neurons were lost in the
substantia nigra and striata after MPTP treatment in diet-restricted mice
than in mice fed a normal diet.
The investigators found that they could "...mimic the beneficial effect of
food restriction by administering to the animals a modified glucose
molecule," 2-deoxy-D-glucose, Dr. Mattson told Reuters Health. "This
molecule cannot be used by cells in the body for energy production," he
explained.
Supplementation with 2-deoxy-D-glucose for 7 days prior to MPTP
administration reduced the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and improved
behavioral outcomes.
The bottom line, Dr. Mattson said in the interview, is that "...as appears
to be the case with age-related diseases other than neurodegenerative
disorders--cardiovascular disease, diabetes--calorie restriction throughout
adult life may reduce risk of Parkinson's disease." He noted that other
studies have demonstrated similar beneficial effects of dietary restriction
in animal models of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.
The findings also "...suggest the possibility that in the future, ways will
be developed to have the benefits of food restriction without having to
restrict food intake," the investigator added. At the current time, he said,
such a possibility is quite speculative.
J Neurosci Res 1999;57:195-206.
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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