Elsevier

Parkinsonism & Related Disorders

Volume 8, Issue 6, 1 September 2002, Pages 417-422
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders

Review
Alkaloids, alcohol and Parkinson's disease

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1353-8020(02)00024-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Relatively early seminal investigations on ‘mammalian alkaloid biosynthesis’—endogenous Pictet–Spengler condensations of catecholamines or indoleamines with aldehydes (such as acetaldehyde from ethanol metabolism) to form tetrahydroisoquinoline or β-carboline alkaloids—and the roles of mammalian alkaloids in the CNS complications of chronic alcoholism were launched in Gerald Cohen's laboratory. While occasional studies on alcohol and the alkaloids continue today, the field of study has been expanded principally by others into Parkinson's disease. Certain mammalian or xenobiotic alkaloids have been examined by various laboratories as possible neurotoxic factors inducing mitochondrial energy depletion and/or oxidative stress in the nigrostriatum. In that regard, specific arguments for N-methylated ‘MPP+-like’ cationic alkaloids that can be generated centrally from β-carbolines derived from the environment and diet are summarized.

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Acknowledgements

The important contributions to the βC studies of E.J. Neafsey, K. Matsubara and D.A. Gearhart are recognized, as is the support of the NIH (R01 NS23891). Thanks also to M. Schipma for graphics assistance. Animal experiments done at Loyola University were carried out in accord with the NIH and the IACUC committee guidelines. All efforts were made to minimize animal suffering, employ the fewest number of animals, and utilize in vitro techniques when available. The protocol for human postmortem

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