title: GM1 ganglioside treatment of Parkinson's disease: an open pilot study of safety and efficacy.
abstract: We performed an open-label study testing the effects of GM1 ganglioside on 10 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Patients received 1,000 mg of GM1 by IV infusion after the last of three baseline functional assessments. Patients then self-administered GM1 at a dose of 200 mg/d, by subcutaneous injection, for 18 weeks. Under these conditions, GM1 ganglioside proved to be safe and well tolerated. There were no serious adverse events and none of the patients developed elevated anti-GM1 antibody titers. Improvements on at least some functional measures were present in most patients, beginning after 4 to 8 weeks of GM1 treatment. When functional improvements occurred, they lasted for the duration of the study. These results suggest that GM1 ganglioside is well tolerated and may be a useful adjunct to the treatment of PD, and that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study is now warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Roeltgen
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rothblat
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapas-Crilly
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Seraydarian
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside