Photobiomodulation Suppresses Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Toxicity in an AAV-Based Rat Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease

Abid Oueslati; Blaise Lovisa; John Perrin; Georges Wagnières; Hubert van den Bergh; Yanik Tardy; Hilal A Lashuel

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140880

Photobiomodulation Suppresses Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Toxicity in an AAV-Based Rat Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease

PLoS One. 2015 Oct 20;10(10):e0140880. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140880. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Abid Oueslati¹, Blaise Lovisa², John Perrin³, Georges Wagnières⁴, Hubert van den Bergh⁴, Yanik Tardy⁵, Hilal A Lashuel⁶

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de Québec, Axe Neuroscience et Département de Médecine Moléculaire de l'Université Laval, Québec, G1V4G2, Canada.
² Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland; Medos International Sàrl, a Johnson&Johnson company, Chemin Blanc 38, CH-2400, Le Locle, Switzerland.
³ Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴ Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁵ Medos International Sàrl, a Johnson&Johnson company, Chemin Blanc 38, CH-2400, Le Locle, Switzerland.
⁶ Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland; Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 5825, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

Converging lines of evidence indicate that near-infrared light treatment, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM), may exert beneficial effects and protect against cellular toxicity and degeneration in several animal models of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we report that chronic PMB treatment mitigates dopaminergic loss induced by unilateral overexpression of human α-synuclein (α-syn) in the substantia nigra of an AAV-based rat genetic model of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this model, daily exposure of both sides of the rat's head to 808-nm near-infrared light for 28 consecutive days alleviated α-syn-induced motor impairment, as assessed using the cylinder test. This treatment also significantly reduced dopaminergic neuronal loss in the injected substantia nigra and preserved dopaminergic fibers in the ipsilateral striatum. These beneficial effects were sustained for at least 6 weeks after discontinuing the treatment. Together, our data point to PBM as a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PD and other related synucleinopathies.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Corpus Striatum / metabolism
Corpus Striatum / pathology
Corpus Striatum / radiation effects
Disease Models, Animal
Dopaminergic Neurons / metabolism
Dopaminergic Neurons / pathology
Dopaminergic Neurons / radiation effects*
Female
Low-Level Light Therapy*
Parkinson Disease / genetics
Parkinson Disease / metabolism
Parkinson Disease / pathology
Parkinson Disease / radiotherapy*
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Substantia Nigra / metabolism
Substantia Nigra / pathology
Substantia Nigra / radiation effects*

Grants and funding

This work was in part supported by Medos International Sàrl, a Johnson&Johnson company. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors [BL, YT], but did not have any additional role in the study design, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. HAL, GW, HvdB and AO were supported by the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne and JP and BL were supported by the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). Additional supports were provided by the CTI projects 13758.1 and 14660.1, and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) projects N° 205320_147141 and CR32I3_159746.