Research Provides Further Insight into Causes of Manganese-Induced Parkinsonism - UT Austin - College of Pharmacy

A major limitation in treating manganese-induced parkinsonism is a lack of understanding of the mechanisms that regulate levels of manganese in the body. Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Hamm Centennial Fellow in Pharmacy, and a team of researchers have released new findings defining the first homeostatic regulatory pathway for manganese in mammalian systems. Identifying these pathways opens up new possible options to prevent or treat manganese-induced parkinsonism and other disorders linked to elevated manganese exposure.

Mukhopadhyay’s latest research article, "Up-regulation of the manganese transporter SLC30A10 by hypoxia-inducible factors defines a homeostatic response to manganese toxicity," was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Manganese toxicity is a well-established cause of parkinsonism, but has no treatment. By focusing on understanding how our body regulates manganese levels, we were able to uncover a pathway that can potentially be targeted for the treatment of manganese-induced parkinsonism," says Mukhopadhyay. "In many ways, this study highlights how basic science discoveries can be leveraged for possible therapeutic development."

Manganese is required for life, but at elevated levels, accumulates in the brain and causes parkinsonism. Parkinsonism due to manganese poisoning is seen in...

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