title: Ambroxol effects in glucocerebrosidase and α-synuclein transgenic mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gaucher disease is caused by mutations in the glucocerebrosidase 1 gene that result in deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. Both homozygous and heterozygous glucocerebrosidase 1 mutations confer an increased risk for developing Parkinson disease. Current estimates indicate that 10 to 25% of Parkinson patients carry glucocerebrosidase 1 mutations. Ambroxol is a small molecule chaperone that has been shown to increase glucocerebrosidase activity in vitro. This study investigated the effect of ambroxol treatment on glucocerebrosidase activity and on α-synuclein and phosphorylated α-synuclein protein levels in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were treated with ambroxol for 12 days. After the treatment, glucocerebrosidase activity was measured in the mouse brain lysates. The brain lysates were also analyzed for α-synuclein and phosphorylated α-synuclein protein levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ambroxol treatment resulted in increased brain glucocerebrosidase activity in (1) wild-type mice, (2) transgenic mice expressing the heterozygous L444P mutation in the murine glucocerebrosidase 1 gene, and (3) transgenic mice overexpressing human α-synuclein. Furthermore, in the mice overexpressing human α-synuclein, ambroxol treatment decreased both α-synuclein and phosphorylated α-synuclein protein levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our work supports the proposition that ambroxol should be further investigated as a potential novel disease-modifying therapy for treatment of Parkinson disease and neuronopathic Gaucher disease to increase glucocerebrosidase activity and decrease α-synuclein and phosphorylated α-synuclein protein levels. Ann Neurol 2016;80:766-775.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Migdalska-Richards
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: Neurodegenerative Diseases Institute, University of Bordeaux, Mixed Unit of Research 5293, Bordeaux, France.|Neurodegenerative Diseases Institute, National Center for Scientific Research, Mixed Unit of Research 5293, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Erwan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bezard
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anthony H V
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Schapira
mesh_terms: D000551:Ambroxol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005100:Expectorants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005776:Gaucher Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005962:Glucosylceramidase / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D005100:Expectorants; C497604:SNCA protein, human; C497605:Snca protein, mouse; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D000551:Ambroxol; D005962:Glucosylceramidase