Pérez-Valle, A. , Guridi, A. , Rienda, B. , Muñoz, S. , Tolentino-Cortez , T. , Astigarraga, E. & Barreda-Gómez , G.
IMG Pharma Biotech S.L.
Parkinson´s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects around 6.3 million people worldwide. PD is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons, although other neurotransmitter systems are also altered. The causes of PD are still unknown but some neurotoxins, such as 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), induce a rapid onset of Parkinsonism. In this context, the non-human primate, Macaca fascicularis, chronically treated with MPTP is one of the most robust animal models of PD, due to the behavioral and neuroanatomical similarities to human. However, the intrinsic difficulties of working with this specie restrict its use. To overcome these limitations, the cell membrane microarrays technology was applied as it enables to carry out several studies reducing enormously the sample amount. Thus, membranes of different brain regions from control and Parkinsonian monkeys were printed over a slide and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was determined, as well as the expression of some neuronal markers such as GDNF family receptor alpha-1 and amyloid precursor protein (APP). The MPTP treated monkeys showed an enhanced activity of AChE in the substantia nigra, as it happened in corpus callosum where an increase in the APP expression was also observed.
These results demonstrate the great potential of this platform for studying not only the protein expression levels but also the enzymatic activity with time, sample and cost-saving.