Cited by 355Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNuclear Receptors and Signaling

Neuroinflammation and α-Synuclein Dysfunction Potentiate Each Other, Driving Chronic Progression of Neurodegeneration in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease

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Gao, Hui-Ming, Zhang, Feng, Zhou, Hui, Kam, Wayneho, Wilson, Belinda, Hong, Jau-Shyong·2011·Environmental Health Perspectives

Abstract

Background: Mechanisms whereby gene–environment interactions mediate chronic, progressive neurodegenerative processes in Parkinson’s disease (PD)—the second most common neurodegenerative disease—remain elusive. Objective: We created a two-hit [neuroinflammation and mutant α-synuclein (α-syn) overexpression] animal model to investigate mechanisms through which mutant α-syn and inflammation work in concert to mediate chronic PD neurodegeneration. Methods: We used an intraperitoneal injection of the inflammogen lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 3 × 106 EU/kg) to initiate systemic and brain inflammation in wild-type (WT) mice and transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing human A53T mutant α-syn. We then evaluated nigral dopaminergic neurodegeneration, α-syn pathology, and neuroinflammation. Results: After LPS injection, both WT and Tg mice initially displayed indistinguishable acute neuroinflammation; however, only Tg mice developed persistent neuroinflammation, chronic progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway, accumulation of aggregated, nitrated α-syn, and formation of Lewy body-like inclusions in nigral neurons. Further mechanistic studies indicated that 4-week infusion of two inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase, major free radical–generating enzymes in activated microglia, blocked nigral α-syn pathology and neurodegeneration in LPS-injected Tg mice. Conclusions: Microglia-derived oxidative stress bridged neuroinflammation and α-syn pathogenic alteration in mediating chronic PD progression. Our two-hit animal model involving both a genetic lesion and an environmental trigger reproduced key features of PD and demonstrated synergistic effects of genetic predisposition and environmental exposures in the development of PD. The chronic progressive nature of dopaminergic neurodegeneration, which is absent in most existing PD models, makes this new model invaluable for the study of mechanisms of PD progression.

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  • Chronic neuroinflammation has been shown to increase α-synuclein deposition in various synucleinopathy animal models.

    “Not only has chronic neuroinflammation been shown to increase α-synuclein deposition in various synucleinopathy animal models (51–56), but when these animals were treated with drugs to reduce neuroinflammation, α-synuclein neuropathology also decreased (57, 58).”
  • This supports a dual-hit hypothesis for Parkinson's disease: elevated endotoxin plus aggregable α-synuclein results in neurodegeneration.

    “This supports a dual-hit hypothesis for PD: elevated endotoxin plus aggregable α-synuclein results in neurodegeneration.”

    From The endotoxin hypothesis of neurodegeneration (2019) · cites this paper as [101]

  • A single injection of peripheral endotoxin into wild-type mice and transgenic mice expressing human A53T mutant α-synuclein resulted in indistinguishable acute neuroinflammation, but only the transgenic mice treated with endotoxin developed persistent neuroinflammation, aggregated α-synuclein, progressive degeneration of dopamine neurons and Lewy body-like inclusions in nigral neurons.

    “A single injection of peripheral endotoxin into wild-type mice and transgenic mice (expressing human A53T mutant α-synuclein) resulted in indistinguishable acute neuroinflammation, but only the transgenic mice treated with endotoxin developed persistent neuroinflammation, aggregated α-synuclein, progressive degeneration of dopamine neurons and Lewy body-like inclusions in nigral neurons [101].”

    From The endotoxin hypothesis of neurodegeneration (2019) · cites this paper as [101]

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Authors
Gao, H.-M., Zhang, F., Zhou, H., Kam, W., Wilson, B., & Hong, J.-S.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Gao, Hui-Ming
Venue
Environmental Health Perspectives
Published
2011-01-18
Volume
119
Issue
6
Pages
807-814
ISSN
  • 0091-6765 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-9924
OpenAlex
W1971599063
Cited by
355
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 19
FWCI
13.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environmental Health Perspectives (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Nuclear Receptors and Signaling
Keywords
Parkinson's disease, neuroinflammation, alpha-synuclein, lipopolysaccharide, two-hit model, gene-environment interaction, microglia, oxidative stress, inducible nitric oxide synthase, NADPH oxidase, dopaminergic neuron loss, nigrostriatal pathway, Lewy bodies, chronic neurodegeneration
MeSH terms
Amidines, Animals, Benzylamines, Disease Models, Animal, Injections, Intraperitoneal, Lipopolysaccharides, Nerve Degeneration, Onium Compounds, Parkinson Disease, Substantia Nigra, Lewy Bodies, Oxidative Stress, NADPH Oxidases, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Animals, Genetically Modified, Mice, alpha-Synuclein, Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II

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