Racun sebabkan Parkinson
(NaturalNews) Pesticide exposure may not just
increase the risk of Parkinson's disease, but may actually start a cascade of
events that directly cause the disease, according to a study conducted by
researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), UC-Berkeley
and the University of Southern California, and published in the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences.
Parkinson's disease is an incurable, degenerative
neurological disease characterized by symptoms such as tremor, rigidity and a
dramatic slowing of speech and movement. It is believed to be caused by the
destruction of neurons in the brain, particularly in the substantia nigra
region of the mid-brain. One of this region's functions is the production of
dopamine, which plays an important role in communication between cells. By the
time Parkinson's disease is detected, it is not uncommon for more than 50
percent of the brain's dopamine-producing neurons to have already been
destroyed.
Although a small percentage of Parkinson's cases
appear to be due to inherited, genetic causes, the vast majority of cases seem
unlinked to genetics.
"As a result, environmental factors almost
certainly play an important role in this disorder," co-author Arthur G.
Fitzmaurice said. "Understanding the relevant mechanisms - particularly
what causes the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons - may provide important
clues to explain how the disease develops."
Investigating the pesticide link
Over the past several years, UCLA researchers
have successively established a link between exposure to various pesticides and
Parkinson's disease, including the common agricultural chemicals maneb,
paraquat and ziram. This link is seen among both farm workers and those living
or working near agricultural fields. In the new study, the researchers sought
to determine whether there might be a link betweenParkinson's and benomyl, a pesticide that was banned
in the United States in 2001 after 30 years of use, after it was linked to
cancer, brain defects, liver tumors and reproductive damage.
The researchers confirmed in a laboratory study that dopaminergic neurons were damaged or destroyed upon exposure to benomyl. They then exposed zebrafish to the chemical, confirming that it led to significant death among dopaminergic neurons, but not among any other nerve cells. This destruction occurred because benomyl blocked the action of an enzyme known as ALDH, which normally interferes with the action of a naturally occurring brain toxin called DOPAL. Without ALDH, DOPAL builds up and destroys the dopaminergic cells.
The ultimate cause of Parkinson's?
The findings surprised the researchers, because
ALDH had never before been linked to Parkinson's disease, which was believed
instead to be caused by a protein called a-synuclein. If the study's findings
are correct, ALDH disruption may turn out to be a cause of the disease even in
people who have not been exposed to pesticides.
"We've known that in animal models and cell cultures, agricultural pesticides trigger a neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson's," senior author Jeff Bronstein said.
"Our work reinforces the hypothesis that pesticides may be partially responsible, and the discovery of this new pathway may be a new avenue for developing therapeutic drugs.
"We've known that in animal models and cell cultures, agricultural pesticides trigger a neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson's," senior author Jeff Bronstein said.
"Our work reinforces the hypothesis that pesticides may be partially responsible, and the discovery of this new pathway may be a new avenue for developing therapeutic drugs.
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