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Parkinson's Disease : The Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Molecular Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy

Guo, Xue Yao ; Song, Dong Yan ; Wu, Ming Yang ; Zhang, Jing Qi ; Li, Jia Yi LU and Yuan, Lin (2025) In MedComm 6(12).
Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a growing global burden. Current pharmacological therapies remain limited to symptomatic management, owning to an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms driving α‑synuclein aggregation and disease progression. This review provides an integrated overview of PD across epidemiological, etiological, pathophysiological, and clinical dimensions. It emphasizes established and emerging risk factors, including environmental toxins, lifestyle variables, and gut microbiota dysbiosis and delineates how peripheral–central pathways such as the gut–brain, erythrocyte–brain, and kidney–brain axes contribute to PD pathogenesis. At the molecular level, we explore key... (More)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a growing global burden. Current pharmacological therapies remain limited to symptomatic management, owning to an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms driving α‑synuclein aggregation and disease progression. This review provides an integrated overview of PD across epidemiological, etiological, pathophysiological, and clinical dimensions. It emphasizes established and emerging risk factors, including environmental toxins, lifestyle variables, and gut microbiota dysbiosis and delineates how peripheral–central pathways such as the gut–brain, erythrocyte–brain, and kidney–brain axes contribute to PD pathogenesis. At the molecular level, we explore key disruptions including proteostatic failure, aberrant phase separation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, iron dyshomeostasis, and impaired cholesterol metabolism. These encompass microbiome‑targeted interventions and blood-based approaches. We further evaluate a spectrum of management strategies ranging from primary prevention and biomarker‑guided early detection to innovative experimental treatments such as cellular therapies, transfusion‑based modalities, and microbial modulation. By integrating recent advances in systemic pathophysiology with translational perspectives, this review highlights how molecular and cellular dysregulations underlie clinical phenotypes. Finally, we discuss promising biomarkers derived from microbial, inflammatory, and erythrocyte pathways that may facilitate early diagnosis and the development of disease‑modifying therapies.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
blood transfusion, gut–brain axis, Parkinson's disease, protein aggregation, α‑synuclein
in
MedComm
volume
6
issue
12
article number
e70540
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:41394959
  • scopus:105025101269
ISSN
2688-2663
DOI
10.1002/mco2.70540
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
dab04b06-3c6a-4884-a394-061234236603
date added to LUP
2026-02-13 08:47:03
date last changed
2026-07-05 09:01:33
@article{dab04b06-3c6a-4884-a394-061234236603,
  abstract     = {{<p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a growing global burden. Current pharmacological therapies remain limited to symptomatic management, owning to an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms driving α‑synuclein aggregation and disease progression. This review provides an integrated overview of PD across epidemiological, etiological, pathophysiological, and clinical dimensions. It emphasizes established and emerging risk factors, including environmental toxins, lifestyle variables, and gut microbiota dysbiosis and delineates how peripheral–central pathways such as the gut–brain, erythrocyte–brain, and kidney–brain axes contribute to PD pathogenesis. At the molecular level, we explore key disruptions including proteostatic failure, aberrant phase separation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, iron dyshomeostasis, and impaired cholesterol metabolism. These encompass microbiome‑targeted interventions and blood-based approaches. We further evaluate a spectrum of management strategies ranging from primary prevention and biomarker‑guided early detection to innovative experimental treatments such as cellular therapies, transfusion‑based modalities, and microbial modulation. By integrating recent advances in systemic pathophysiology with translational perspectives, this review highlights how molecular and cellular dysregulations underlie clinical phenotypes. Finally, we discuss promising biomarkers derived from microbial, inflammatory, and erythrocyte pathways that may facilitate early diagnosis and the development of disease‑modifying therapies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Guo, Xue Yao and Song, Dong Yan and Wu, Ming Yang and Zhang, Jing Qi and Li, Jia Yi and Yuan, Lin}},
  issn         = {{2688-2663}},
  keywords     = {{blood transfusion; gut–brain axis; Parkinson's disease; protein aggregation; α‑synuclein}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{MedComm}},
  title        = {{Parkinson's Disease : The Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Molecular Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mco2.70540}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/mco2.70540}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}