Neuroprotective effect of graphene and Parkinson’s

An international team of researchers, led by Dr. Noela Rodríguez Losada, biologist from the Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences of the University of Malaga (UMA), has shown that different graphene-based materials can protect dopaminergic neurons against some of the main cellular processes involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

The study, published in the journal International Journal of Molecular Sciences, opens “a promising path towards the development of new biomaterials with neuroprotective and neuroregenerative applications,” the UMA indicated in a note.

Research has focused on analyzing how different forms of graphene – graphene oxide (GO), partially reduced graphene (PRGO) and fully reduced graphene (FRGO) – influence the survival and maturation of dopaminergic neurons grown in the laboratory.

As they have explained, these neurons are the main affected in Parkinson’sa disease characterized by its progressive loss and the accumulation of misfolded proteins inside nerve cells.

The results show that, when used in low doses, “graphene is not only biocompatible, but also exerts a protective effect against two of the great enemies of neurons in Parkinson’s: oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress, both closely linked to neuronal degeneration.”

Specifically, the researchers used well-known toxins in experimental models of Parkinson’s, such as MPP+, which damages mitochondria and triggers oxidative stress, and tunicamycin, which causes the accumulation of misfolded proteins inside the cell.

“In the face of these attacks, the graphene materials significantly reduced cellular damage, decreased the release of mitochondrial toxicity markers and limited the accumulation of a-synuclein, a key protein in the development of Parkinson’s disease,” explains Professor Rodríguez Losada.

In fact, the results indicate, they have specified, that in the tests the MPP+ toxin tripled the levels of a-synuclein, while the treatment with partially reduced graphene managed to reduce this increase by around 50%, bringing it closer to values ​​similar to those of undamaged neurons.

Among all the variants studied, the microflakes –particles– of partially reduced graphene (PRGO) stood out for their greater effectiveness. This material not only protected neurons against toxin-induced damage, but also promoted their maturation and activated cellular mechanisms associated with adaptation to stress.

In this sense, one of the most relevant findings was the increase in the expression of Torsin 1A, a protein involved in the correct folding of other proteins within the cell. At the same time, a reduction in the activation of stress sensors such as PERK and eIF2a was observed, which suggests, as the expert maintains, “that graphene helps neurons better manage situations of protein overload, one of the processes that contribute to their degeneration in Parkinson’s.”

On the other hand, the study also provides evidence that graphenic materials are not limited to protecting neurons, but also promote their functional maturation. The cells cultured on these materials showed a greater expression of markers typical of mature dopaminergic neurons and a more complex organization, which for experts is compatible with the formation of neuronal networks.

“In addition, the researcher points out, this double effect of ‘protection’ and ‘promotion of maturation’ is especially interesting from the point of view of regenerative medicine, since it suggests that graphene could be used in the future as a support for cell therapies aimed at neurodegenerative diseases.

The research has been developed by a multidisciplinary team that includes basic neuroscientists, clinicians and nanotechnology experts. Together with the University of Malaga and the Malaga Biomedical Research Institute (Ibima), centers from Argentina, Valencia, Norway and the United States have participated, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda.

Although the authors emphasize that this is a study carried out on cells in the laboratory, “the results show that smart biomaterials based on graphene could become a key tool to modulate cellular stress and protect neurons in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.”

The next step will be to evaluate these effects in more complex models and, in the long term, explore their possible clinical application, the Malaga university has concluded in the note.