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Multiple factors affect the absorption of orally administered levodopa, the gold standard for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) expresses the enzyme tyrosine decarboxylase (tyrDC), which metabolizes levodopa into dopamine and thereby may influence its absorption in patients with PD. This study investigated the association between fecal E. faecalis and tyrDC gene levels and the pharmacokinetics of orally administered levodopa in 21 patients with PD. Our results revealed a significant association between elevated fecal levels of E. faecalis and tyrDC gene levels and reduced peak plasma levodopa concentrations. Additionally, among patients receiving levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel treatment, strong positive correlations were observed between E. faecalis and tyrDC gene levels in fecal samples and those from the tip of the jejunal tube. Further prospective studies are required to explore the potential role of gut microbiota as a therapeutic target in patients with PD.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-00903-6 | DOI Listing |
J Cell Sci
September 2025
i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
The microtubule motor dynein-2 is responsible for retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), a process critical for cilia assembly and cilium-dependent signaling. Mutations in genes encoding dynein-2 subunits interfere with ciliogenesis and are among the most frequent causes of skeletal ciliopathies. Despite its importance, little is known regarding dynein-2 assembly and regulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
September 2025
Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology, University of California Los Angeles. (S.S., C.R.S., L.F., M.P., C.P., Z.Z., J.J.M., R.C.D., D.S., A.J.L.).
Background: In genetic studies with the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel, we previously identified a chromosome 9 locus for atherosclerosis. We now identify NNMT (nicotinamide -methyltransferase), an enzyme that degrades nicotinamide, as the causal gene in the locus and show that the underlying mechanism involves salvage of nicotinamide to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).
Methods: Gain/loss of function studies in macrophages were performed to examine the role of NAD levels in macrophage proliferation and apoptosis in atherosclerosis.
Circ Genom Precis Med
September 2025
Clinical Pharmacology and Precision Medicine, William Harvey Research Institute, London, United Kingdom (W.J.Y., M.M.S., J.R., S.v.D., H.R.W., A.T., P.B.M.).
Background: There is a higher prevalence of heart rate corrected QT (QTc) prolongation in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome. QT interval genome-wide association studies have identified candidate genes for cardiac energy metabolism, and experimental studies suggest that polyunsaturated fatty acids have direct effects on ion channel function. Despite this, there has been limited study of metabolite concentration relationships with QT intervals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCephalalgia
September 2025
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Migraine is a complex neurological disorder involving multiple neuropeptides that modulate nociceptive and sensory pathways. The most studied peptide is calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which is a well-established migraine trigger and therapeutic target. Recently, another peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), has emerged as an alternative target for migraine therapeutics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenes Brain Behav
October 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Major depressive disorder is a prevalent and debilitating psychiatric illness that produces significant disability. Clinical data suggest that the pathophysiology of depression is due, in part, to a dysregulation of inflammation and glutamate levels in the brain. The systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been shown to induce depressive-like behaviors in mice.
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