The fragrance farnesol gives perfumes a floral note and occurs naturally in many plants. Recent research from Johns Hopkins University in mice provides evidence that the scent, reminiscent of lily of the valley, may hold a key to treating, curing and preventing Parkinson’s disease. The neurodegenerative disease has so far been considered incurable.
Farnesol occurs naturally in numerous types of fruit, herbs and also mushrooms. The smell is reminiscent of lily of the valley, which makes it a popular perfume additive. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that the fragrance appears to be able to reverse neurological damage associated with Parkinson’s. Initial experiments on mice are extremely promising. The researchers hope that their knowledge will lead to an effective drug for sick people in the near future.
Link: Parkinson’s disease and lack of dopamine
Tremors, muscle stiffness, confusion and dementia – the typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are caused by the loss of neurons that secrete the neurotransmitter molecule dopamine. Dopamine is responsible, among other things, for movement processes, cognition and mood. Therefore, Parkinson’s patients often suffer from depression. More than six million people worldwide are affected by the insidious disease. Parkinson’s has so far been considered incurable. Ironically, a fragrant fragrance gives new hope. «Our experiments showed that farnesol both significantly prevented the loss of dopamine neurons and reversed behavioral deficits in mice. This suggests that it has promise as a drug treatment to prevent Parkinson’s disease,” explains study leader Prof Ted Dawson.1
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Farnesol boosts dopamine production in mice…
According to the study report, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, farnesol miraculously strengthens dopamine-producing neurons. deactivate immediately. The accumulation of PARIS proteins in turn ensures that the production of the protein PGC-1alpha is inhibited. This protein protects brain cells from harmful reactive oxygen molecules. Without PGC-1alpha, dopamine neurons die, leading to the cognitive and physical changes associated with Parkinson’s disease.
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… and deactivates Parkinson’s protein
Prof. Dawson’s team fed mice food that had been spiked with farnesol for a week. Another group received normal mouse chow. Meanwhile, the scientists injected the animals with the protein alpha-synuclein, which regulates dopamine release in the brain, among other things. The mice that received a farnesol diet ended up doing twice as well on strength and coordination tests.
When the researchers later examined the brain tissue of both groups, they found that the mice fed a farnesol-enriched diet also had twice as many healthy dopamine neurons as the mice without farnesol in the diet. The farnesol mice also had about 55 percent more of the protective protein PGC-1alpha in their brains than the other mice.
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Farnesol against Parkinson’s: Can the study results be extrapolated to humans?
The results show that the fragrance farnesol actually has the property of reversing or curing Parkinson’s disease – at least clearly in mice. Still, research is far from knowing what the safe dose is for humans. Only carefully controlled clinical trials can do this, the researchers add.
Farnesol has been well known in cosmetics for decades. It is used not only in perfumes but also in anti-aging skin creams, deodorants and even as an additive in cigarettes. Now Dawson and his team hope that one day farnesol can be used as an effective drug that prevents or reverses brain damage caused by Parkinson’s disease.