| Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological
disorder characterized by degeneration of
dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. However,
although 200 years have now passed since the primary
clinical description of PD by James Parkinson, the etiology
and mechanisms of neuronal loss in this disease are
still not fully understood. In addition to genetic and environmental
factors, activation of immunologic responses
seems to have a crucial role in PD pathology. Intraneuronal
accumulation of α-synuclein (α-Syn), as the main
pathological hallmark of PD, potentially mediates initiation
of the autoimmune and inflammatory events through,
possibly, auto-reactive T cells. While current therapeutic
regimens are mainly used to symptomatically suppress
PD signs, application of the disease-modifying therapies
including immunomodulatory strategies may slow down
the progressive neurodegeneration process of PD. The aim
of this review is to summarize knowledge regarding previous
studies on the relationships between autoimmune
reactions and PD pathology as well as to discuss current
opportunities for immunomodulatory therapy. |