Aggregation of misfolded α-synuclein (α-syn) protein in the periphery and central nervous system (CNS) gives rise to a group of disorders, which are labeled collectively as synucleinopathies. These clinically distinct disorders are known as pure autonomic failure, Parkinson's disease (PD), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). In the case of PD, it has been demonstrated that toxic aggregates of α-syn protein not only cause apoptosis of dopamine neurons but its accumulation in the neocortex and limbic area principally contributes to dementia. In our multifunctional drug discovery research for PD, we converted one of our catechol-containing lead dopamine agonist molecules D-520 into its prodrug D-685. The prodrug exhibited higher in vivo anti-Parkinsonian efficacy in a reserpinized PD animal model than the parent D-520 and exhibited facile brain penetration. In our study with an α-syn transgenic animal model (D line) for PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), we have shown that 1 month of chronic treatment with the compound D-685 was sufficient to reduce the accumulation of α-syn and phospho-α-syn in the cortex, hippocampus, and striatum areas significantly compared to the control tg mice. Furthermore, D-685 did not exhibit any deleterious effect in the CNS as was evident from the neuron and microglia studies. Future studies will further explore in depth the potential of D-685 to modify disease progression while addressing symptomatic deficits.
Keywords: Lewy bodies; Parkinson’s disease; Parkinson’s disease dementia; dementia with Lewy bodies; dopamine agonist; multifunctional drug; α-synuclein.