A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Levodopa exposure and nigral neuroinflammation in parkinsonian disorders: A postmortem study of 63 cases
Tekijät: Backman, Emmilotta A.; Luntamo, Laura; Vahlberg, Tero; Gardberg, Maria; Kaasinen, Valtteri
Kustantaja: Springer Nature
Julkaisuvuosi: 2025
Lehti: Scientific Reports
Artikkelin numero: 39516
Vuosikerta: 15
eISSN: 2045-2322
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23376-2
Julkaisun avoimuus kirjaamishetkellä: Avoimesti saatavilla
Julkaisukanavan avoimuus : Kokonaan avoin julkaisukanava
Verkko-osoite: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23376-2
Rinnakkaistallenteen osoite: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505345281
Levodopa remains the cornerstone of treatment in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but its long-term impact on neuroinflammation remains unclear, particularly in multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), where levodopa efficacy is limited. This study examined whether chronic levodopa exposure is associated with neuroinflammation or dopaminergic neuronal loss in end-stage PD, MSA, and PSP. Postmortem midbrain tissue from 63 neuropathologically confirmed cases (PD: n = 38; PSP: n = 13; MSA: n = 12) was analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to quantify tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH+) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), along with T lymphocyte (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+) infiltration and microglial density (Iba1 expression). Levodopa exposure was estimated using three models and analyzed in relation to neuropathological markers, adjusting for age at death, sex, disease duration, and Hoehn & Yahr stage. Results. No significant associations were observed between levodopa exposure and TH + neuronal density or T cell infiltration or microglial density. For example, in PD, mean daily levodopa dose was not associated with CD3 + T cell density (β = 2.06 × 10⁻⁵, 95%CI: −0.001 to 0.001, p = 0.96). Chronic levodopa use was not associated with persistent neuroinflammation or dopaminergic neuronal loss at end-stage disease, suggesting no long-term immune-mediated toxicity in the substantia nigra.
Ladattava julkaisu This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |
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This study was supported by grants from the Finnish Parkinson Foundation, the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Turku University Foundation, the Finnish Brain Foundation, and the Maire Taponen Foundation.