Although in rare families the disease is genetically inherited, most cases arise sporadically, and their cause is unknown. Researchers said the new findings lend support to the theory that environmental factors, perhaps including exposure to pesticides, may contribute to the development of Parkinson's in genetically susceptible individuals. They also said the work provides a promising new animal model for testing drugs to treat or prevent the illness. I think a lot more work is needed . . . to really look at specific pesticides.
Rotenone is a mixture of natural compounds found in the roots, seeds and leaves of various plants.
It is rapidly broken down in soil and water, a feature that distinguishes it from many other pesticides that persist in the environment for years. It was formerly used as a garden insecticide and to kill ticks and fleas on animals, but the only use now allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency is to kill undesirable fish in lakes and ponds, said Richard Miller, president of Prentiss Inc., a supplier of the product. Greenamyre and his research team chose to study rotenone because of its chemical similarity to MPTP, a chemical that caused a Parkinson's-like illness in the 1980s in California addicts who took an illicit drug contaminated with the substance. Like MPTP, rotenone and some other pesticides block the action of a key enzyme in mitochondria, energy-producing structures inside cells. The Emory researchers gave rats rotenone intravenously over periods ranging from one to five weeks.