New Study Suggests Coffee May Help Combat Parkinson's Disease – CoffeeTalk

A recent review published in the journal NeuroToxicology highlights the potential protective benefits of specific components found in tobacco and coffee against Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Current treatments for PD include L-DOPA, dopamine agonists, and dopamine degradation inhibitors such as monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) inhibitors and catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitors. However, these medications are limited in their ability to mitigate disease progression.

Tobacco and coffee consumption have been reported to reduce the risk of PD due to bioactive, non-nicotine, and non-caffeine components in cigarettes and coffee, respectively. Other factors negatively associated with PD development include serum uric acid levels, physical activity, moderate alcohol intake, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), calcium channel blockers, and welding.

Several candidate molecules and molecular mechanisms associated with lifestyle factors have been identified, including nicotine, caffeine, and urate. Clinical trials of nicotine, caffeine, and urate have not found therapeutic benefits in PD, indicating the need for further research into alternative compounds.

Reversible and selective MAO B inhibitors present in tobacco include trans, trans-farnesol, menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone), 1,4-naphthoquinone, scopoletin, diosmetin, norharman and harman, and six novel MAO inhibitors in tobacco smoke, including α-linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and neuroprotective properties. Green coffee contains numerous bioactive flavonoids such as quercetin, myricetin, and rutin with MAO B inhibitory activity.

Compounds found in tobacco and coffee can inhibit α-synuclein fibrillation, COMT inhibition, neuroinflammation suppression, gut microbiota alteration, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (Nrf2) pathway activation. These compounds have shown potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activities in both in vitro and in vivo models of PD.

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