Electronic Poster | Session 1

055 – PERIPHERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW PROGRESSIVE MODEL OF PARKINSON DISEASE: THE BSSG RAT.

Amandine Isenbrandt (1, 2) – Katherine Coulombe (2) – Hend Jarras (2) – Denis Soulet (1, 2)
Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University (1) – CHU de Québec – Laval University research center (2)

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is known for its characteristic motor symptoms (MS), yet it is also important to pay close attention to the non-motor symptoms (NMS) present in the disease. These symptoms usually appear years before the onset of motor symptoms and are of more concern to the patients than MS. Gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation gastric emptying problems are some of the NMS. A new progressive beta-sisterol beta-d-glucoside (BSSG) model has recently been developed, showing a combination of several features of the disease such as behavioral disorders, a decrease in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, as well as the presence of alpha-synuclein in several regions of the brain, making it therefore the most complete PD model currently known. In order to complete the characterization of the model, analyses in the myenteric plexus of the colon were performed and showed an upward trend of CD163 and MHCII inflammatory markers in the first two months of exposure to the toxin. An analysis of VIP neurons exposes their increased number at 10 months. Although the compound does not seem to show a significant impact on the inflammatory markers tested, it seems to influence the neuronal component. Thus, it will be imperative in the future to investigate different types of neurons to understand the action of BSSG on the neuronal populations of the intestine.