title: Bumetanide to Treat Parkinson Disease: A Report of 4 Cases.
abstract: Relying on recent experimental data in 2 animal models of Parkinson disease (PD), we have tested the effects of the loop diuretic bumetanide as an add-on treatment to dopaminergic drugs in 4 volunteered patients with PD using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Bumetanide is a specific antagonist of the chloride importer NKCC1 (sodium/potassium/chloride cotransporter isoform 1) that ameliorates neuronal inhibition by reducing intracellular chloride levels in a variety of pathological conditions. Bumetanide is however not labeled for use in PD. We report an improvement of PD motor symptoms in the 4 patients treated with bumetanide (5 mg/d for 2 months). Bumetanide also improved gait and freezing in 2 of these patients. Our results suggest that bumetanide is well tolerated and call for double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trials to confirm the therapeutic efficacy of bumetanide.
authors.affiliation: *CHU Nantes, Nantes; and †INMED, INSERM U 901 and B&A Therapeutics, Campus Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Damier
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Yeheskel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben-Ari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002034:Bumetanide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D049994:Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D049994:Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; D002034:Bumetanide