Use of Androgen for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center
posted on 02/13/2009

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Description: Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting more than a million patients in the US. The source of the disease appear to have sporadic origins, but genetic analysis have identified a number of genes that contribute to Parkinson’s disease susceptibility. The current treatment elevates levels of brain dopamine, but does not prevent the disease progression. Dr. Xu has taken an approach of administering effective amounts of androgen and androgen analogs to not only increase dopamine synthesis, but also protect brain cells against neurodegeneration. These effects are achieved by the cooperation between androgens and a PD-related neuroprotective protein DJ-1 to regulate the production of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme during dopamine synthesis, and the anti-neuronal death property of androgens. Data has been generated that shows an increase in dopamine synthesis and a decrease in neuronal apoptosis. Advantages: Low testosterone levels have been associated with male PD patients. Androgen therapy could be a novel approach to increase the brain dopamine levels and to prevent the neuronal degeneration, an aspect that is not regulated by the current treatments.