Tianma Gouteng Decoction (TGD), a traditional Chinese medicine, shows potential to alleviate Parkinson's disease symptoms by restoring neuron function and dampening the proliferation of harmful proteins.
The methodology used included a combination of serum pharmacochemistry, single cell sequencing, network pharmacology, and a validation experiment that studied the effects of TGD in a Parkinson's disease (PD) model. The water extract from TGD and its distribution in the serum of PD-infected mice were analyzed using secondary metabolomics. Through this process, components that could cross the blood-brain barrier were identified, and their specific target cells and pathways were analyzed using network pharmacology and single cell sequencing.
The results of this investigation reveal that TGD treatment improved the movement disorders in mice that had been induced with PD characteristics. This was accomplished as the TGD components restored dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain, suppressed the expression of α-synuclein, and regulated apoptosis. The study also found that treatment with TGD restored the communication between neurons and oligodendrocytes and identified these two types of cells as the primary responders to TGD therapy. Post-treatment, the apoptosis of oligodendrocytes was observed to decrease and the secretion of a helpful component, the trophic factor, was seen to increase. This ultimately facilitated the improvement of neuronal synaptic plasticity and reduced neuroinflammation, thereby ameliorating the symptoms of PD.
