An already widely used liver drug can halt the headway of Parkinson's disease, a new study claims. According to researchers from the Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and the University of York, this drug which has been used for decades to treat liver disease has shown beneficial effects in slowing down the progression of Parkinson's disease.
What is Parkinson's disease? It is a progressive condition that mainly affects the nervous system. It may start from a mild tremor and then progresses into more noticeable movement inabilities like slowing of movements, stiffness and slurring of speech. This has no cure but medicines can improve symptoms.
The study published in the journal Neurology claims that a drug called ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has shown promising effects on fruit flies.
"We demonstrated the beneficial effects of UDCA in the tissue of LRRK2 carriers with Parkinson's disease as well as currently asymptomatic LRRK2 carriers," explains study author Dr. Heather Mortiboys of SITraN as reported by Medical News Today.
She added, "In both cases, UDCA improved mitochondrial function as demonstrated by the increase in oxygen consumption and cellular energy levels."
Furutiry.org reports that one cause of Parkinson's disease was the mutation in the LRRK2 gene. However, in fruit flies, when this gene is altered, progressive loss of vision occurs. When they were given UDCA, they were able to see and maintain visual response.
Dr. Chris Elliott, one of the proponents of the study, said that "Feeding the flies with UDCA through their life slows the rate at which the fly brain denegerates." Thus, it could lead to a better treatment plan for patients with Parkinson's.
The National Insitutes of Health reports that the average age onset of Parkinson's is at age 60. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Parkinson's is the 14th leading cause of death in the United States.
The study was funded by Parkinson's UK- a charity for supporting people with the neurological condition.