Contents
Special Issue Topic

Parkinson's Disease: Principal Targets and Interventional Mechanisms

Submission Deadline: August 30, 2025

Guest Editor

Prof. Mahesh Narayan E-Mail

Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 996 USA

Research Keywords: Parkinson’s; α-synuclein; dopamine; risk-factors; protein misfolding; cellular homeostasis; cellular dyshomeostasis; neurodegeneration; substantia nigra pars compacta; small-molecules; natural products; carbon quantum dots; carbon nano materials

About the Special lssue

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. While age is a primary risk factor, environmental agents such as pesticides, weedicides, insecticides, cigarette smoke, industrial pollutants and drugs of abuse remain associated with the loss of dopaminergic neuronal homeostasis, neuronal injury, neuronal demise and disease onset. While α- synuclein is a central player in the pathogenesis of PD, other risk factors and targets include molecular chaperones, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuromelanin, ubiquitin-proteasome system, protein Abelson, synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2C, and cocaine-amphetamine-regulated transcript. The need for novel intervention mechanisms has never been greater given the lack of suitable clinical regimens that satisfactorily address PD. Of late, the use of carbon nanomaterials has found some success in preclinical trials.

The proposed issue invites papers across, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Novel targets in PD

  • Targeting α-synuclein in PD

  • Novel small-molecules in the treatment of PD

  • The role of carbon nanomaterials in PD intervention

Keywords: Parkinson’s; α-synuclein; dopamine; neuronal cells; dopaminergic cells; amyloid cross-talk; risk-factors; protein misfolding

Published Articles

Open Access Review
Carbon nanotubes as neuroprotective agents
Daisy L. Wilson ... Mahesh Narayan
Published: February 27, 2024 Explor Neuroprot Ther. 2024;4:72–81
1893 47 0
Open Access Review
The effects of post-translational modifications on alpha-synuclein aggregation and immune cell activation in Parkinson’s disease
Zaina Khan, Yoo Jin Jung
Published: October 26, 2023 Explor Neuroprot Ther. 2023;3:281–298
2982 62 3
Open Access Review
Targeting α-synuclein aggregation with immunotherapy: a promising therapeutic approach for Parkinson’s disease
Gabriela Henriquez, Mahesh Narayan
Published: August 25, 2023 Explor Neuroprot Ther. 2023;3:207–234
6179 162 8
Open Access Review
Pathophysiology of non-motor signs in Parkinson’s disease: some recent updating with brief presentation
Khaled Radad ... Wolf-Dieter Rausch
Published: February 27, 2023 Explor Neuroprot Ther. 2023;3:24–46
9721 247 13