In article <32DA5058.3FD7 at mailhost.net> Serge Helfrich <s.helfrich at mailhost.net> writes:
>From: Serge Helfrich <s.helfrich at mailhost.net>
>Subject: Inflammatory mechanisms in Parkinson's disease
>Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 16:10:16 +0100
>Hi!
>I'm working on some preparations for a research on the pathogenesis of
>(idiopathic) Parkinson's disease in relation to the increment of
>inflammatory proteins in certain brain regions. I'm wondering if the
>involvement of interleukins merely concerns the process of
>neurodegeneration or that it in fact reflects a mechanism of
>compensation, i.e. that those proteins act as neurotrofic factors.
>A possible mechanism of interleukin induction involves the activation of
>transcription factor NF-kappa B by reactive oxygen intermediates
>(Kaltschmidt et. al. 1993, Mol. Asp. Med. 14:171-190). So there seems to
>be a link with the oxidative stress hypothesis.
Active oxygen species are potent mediators of the inflammatory process.
SOD in its pharmaceutical form "Orgotein" is even used as an antiinflammatory
agent. For a review of such things ( he says modestly ) see: P Proctor,
Free Radicals and Human Disease, in "CRC Handbook of Free Radicals and
Antioxidants", vol 1 (1989)p209-221. Includes a bunch of stuff on
Parkinsons, etc. and Active oxygen species, which ain't exaclty new stuff.
Peter H. Proctor, PhD, MD ( "Dr. P" )
