Park, Jun Sung and Ahmad, Riaz and Choe, Kyonghwan and Kang, Min Hwa and Park, Tae Ju and Kim, Myeong Ok (2023) Immunization effects of a novel α-synuclein-based peptide epitope vaccine in Parkinson’s Disease-associated pathology. Vaccines, 11 (12): 1820. ISSN 2076-393X
AI Summary:
Vaccination with an -syn specific epitope vaccine, especially with immunogenic carrier proteins such as ovalbumin (OVA) and keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH), was found to be effective in reducing the accumulation of -syn aggregates in the brain and ameliorating Parkinson's disease-related pathophysiology.AI Topics:
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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system, specifically the motor system. It is mainly caused by the loss of dopamine due to the accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) protein in the striatum and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Previous studies have reported that immunization may be a potential preventive strategy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Therefore, the aim of the study was to design an α-syn specific epitope vaccine and investigate its effect in PD-related pathophysiology using an α-syn-induced mouse model. We used an in silico model to identify and design a non-toxic α-syn-based peptide epitope vaccine and, to overcome poor immunogenicity, the vaccine was coupled with immunogenic carrier proteins, i.e., ovalbumin (OVA) and keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH). Our results showed that vaccinated PD mouse models, especially with vaccines with carrier proteins, improved in motor functions compared with the non-vaccinated PD model. Additionally, the vaccinated groups showed increased immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in the spleen and plasma as well as decreased interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels in the plasma. Furthermore, vaccinated groups, especially OVA and KLH groups, showed decrease in α-syn levels and increased dopamine-related markers, i.e., tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vesicle monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), and dopamine transporter (DAT), and autophagy activities in the striatum and SNpc. Lastly, our data showed decreased neuroinflammation by reducing the activation of microglia and astrocytes and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the immunized groups, especially with OVA and KLH carrier proteins. Overall, these results suggest that vaccination, especially with immunogenic carrier proteins, is effective in reducing the accumulation of α-syn aggregates in the brain and ameliorate PD-related pathophysiology. Hence, further development of this approach might have a potential role in preventing the development of PD.
Title | Immunization effects of a novel α-synuclein-based peptide epitope vaccine in Parkinson’s Disease-associated pathology |
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Creators | Park, Jun Sung and Ahmad, Riaz and Choe, Kyonghwan and Kang, Min Hwa and Park, Tae Ju and Kim, Myeong Ok |
Identification Number | 10.3390/vaccines11121820 |
Date | 5 December 2023 |
Divisions | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cancer Sciences |
Publisher | MDPI AG |
Additional Information | Funding: This research was supported by the Neurological Disorder Research Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and funded by the Korean Government (MSIT) (2020M3E5D9080660). |
URI | https://pub.demo35.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/428 |
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Item Type | Article |
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Depositing User | Unnamed user with email ejo1f20@soton.ac.uk |
SWORD Depositor | Users 37347 not found. |
Date Deposited | 11 Jun 2025 16:38 |
Revision | 11 |
Last Modified | 12 Jun 2025 09:35 |
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