© 2003 BMJ Publishing Group
LETTER
Endotoxin: is it an environmental factor in the cause of Parkinson’s disease?
1 Lübeck, Germany
2 Envirosafe Training and Consultants, Inc., PO Box 114022, Pittsburgh, PA 15239, USA; john.pam.lange@worldnet.att.net
Keywords: LPS; agriculture; environmental exposure; occupational health; substantia nigra
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Occurrence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been reported to be associated with environmental factors, notably those associated with employment in the agricultural industry.1 Some have suggested that the agent associated with agriculture is pesticide exposure, although no specific class of pesticide has been identified.2
We suggest that besides pesticides, endotoxin (lipopolysaccaride, LPS) may also be an environmental factor. Endotoxin is a common airborne environmental and occupational contaminate in agricultural3 and other industries.4,5
Endotoxins are part of the outer cell wall of Gram negative bacteria.6 This agent can elicit a multitude of pathophysiological effects, including inflammation, macrophage activation, fever, and septic shock.7,8 The blood-brain barrier can become leaky as a result of sepsis,9 allowing LPS to enter the cerebrospinal fluid.
Experimentally, endotoxin has been shown to cause inflammation in the dopaminergic neurones of the substantia nigra, resulting in pathogenesis of PD.10,11 LPS stimulate astrocytes and microglia in the CNS to secrete
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