Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Apr 14;25(8):4330.
doi: 10.3390/ijms25084330.

Experimental Models to Study Immune Dysfunction in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease

Affiliations
Review

Experimental Models to Study Immune Dysfunction in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease

Jasna Saponjic et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, age-related, progressive multisystem disease associated with neuroinflammation and immune dysfunction. This review discusses the methodological approaches used to study the changes in central and peripheral immunity in PD, the advantages and limitations of the techniques, and their applicability to humans. Although a single animal model cannot replicate all pathological features of the human disease, neuroinflammation is present in most animal models of PD and plays a critical role in understanding the involvement of the immune system (IS) in the pathogenesis of PD. The IS and its interactions with different cell types in the central nervous system (CNS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD. Even though culture models do not fully reflect the complexity of disease progression, they are limited in their ability to mimic long-term effects and need validation through in vivo studies. They are an indispensable tool for understanding the interplay between the IS and the pathogenesis of this disease. Understanding the immune-mediated mechanisms may lead to potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of PD. We believe that the development of methodological guidelines for experiments with animal models and PD patients is crucial to ensure the validity and consistency of the results.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; animal models; cellular models; immune systems; neurodegeneration; neuroinflammation; peripheral immune cells.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic summary of the animal models of PD to study the immune system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Peripheral and central immunity in the pathogenesis of PD.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Elbaz A., Carcaillon L., Kab S., Moisan F. Epidemiology of Parkinson’s Disease. Rev. Neurol. 2016;172:14–26. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2015.09.012. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Savica R., Grossardt B.R., Bower J.H., Ahlskog J.E., Rocca W.A. Time Trends in the Incidence of Parkinson Disease. JAMA Neurol. 2016;73:981. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.0947. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Feigin V.L., Nichols E., Alam T., Bannick M.S., Beghi E., Blake N., Culpepper W.J., Dorsey E.R., Elbaz A., Ellenbogen R.G., et al. Global, Regional, and National Burden of Neurological Disorders, 1990–2016: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol. 2019;18:459–480. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30499-X. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Terkelsen M.H., Klaestrup I.H., Hvingelby V., Lauritsen J., Pavese N., Romero-Ramos M. Neuroinflammation and Immune Changes in Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease and Other Synucleinopathies. J. Park. Dis. 2022;12:S149–S163. doi: 10.3233/JPD-223245. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tansey M.G., Wallings R.L., Houser M.C., Herrick M.K., Keating C.E., Joers V. Inflammation and Immune Dysfunction in Parkinson Disease. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 2022;22:657. doi: 10.1038/s41577-022-00684-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms