Korean Medicine Institute Identifies Insect Molting Hormone Improving Motor Disorder Symptoms Caused by Parkinson's Disease

Mechanism of Enhanced Human Defense by Nrf2 Protein Activation Established

Scientific Basis for the Efficacy of Insect-Derived Medicines in Donguibogam Sustained

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Chunsu] Domestic researchers have identified that a hormone that surges during insect molting or growth improves motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (Director Kim Jongyeol, KIOM, hereafter referred to as KIOM) announced on the 3rd that Dr. Park Geonhyeok's research team at the Herbal Medicine Resources Research Center scientifically elucidated the Parkinson's disease improvement efficacy and mechanism of action of 20-hydroxyecdysone (hereafter insect hormone), known as an insect molting hormone.

KIOM has been conducting research projects to establish a scientific basis for the efficacy of insect and larva herbal medicines recorded in Donguibogam under the insect section (蟲部).

The research team previously scientifically demonstrated the Parkinson's disease improvement effect of cicada shell (Seontae) extract found in Donguibogam.

This study focused on whether the insect hormone, which surges during insect molting or growth, has anti-Parkinson effects.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the destruction of nerve cells that secrete the neurotransmitter dopamine. Patients with Parkinson's disease exhibit symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, slow walking or movement, and unstable posture.

The research team conducted experiments on animal models induced with Parkinson's disease to confirm the motor disorder improvement and dopamine production activation efficacy of the insect hormone and to elucidate its mechanism of action.

First, the team performed behavioral assessments comparing the degree of motor disorder improvement between the experimental group administered with the insect hormone and the control group without it.

As a result, only the experimental group administered with the insect hormone showed reduced behavioral disorders such as tremors, and motor function improved more than twofold.

Additionally, examining dopamine changes in the brains of experimental animals revealed that the amount of dopamine cell death increased by Parkinson's induction was suppressed, and dopamine production in the experimental group increased up to seven times compared to the control group.

Through further analysis, the research team also found that the insect hormone normalizes the mitochondrial membrane potential and Bcl-2 family proteins within dopamine cells, thereby inhibiting dopamine cell death.

Furthermore, to confirm the mechanism of the insect hormone's efficacy, the team analyzed substances expressed in the experimental group administered with the insect hormone and their interactions.

The analysis showed that Nrf2, which enhances human defense mechanisms, increased more than 2.5 times in the experimental group, and antioxidant substances such as heme oxygenase (HO-1) and quinone-1 (NQO1) increased up to fourfold.

However, in additional experiments where the insect hormone and an Nrf2 inhibitor were administered simultaneously, there was no increase in intracellular antioxidant substances nor improvement in motor disorders.

Therefore, it was confirmed that the insect hormone activates Nrf2, and the increased antioxidant substances resulting from this activation improve Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Lim Hyesun, lead author from the Herbal Medicine Resources Center, stated, "This study is significant in revealing that the insect hormone has the efficacy to suppress oxidative stress, which is important in treating brain neurological diseases."

Project leader Dr. Moon Byungcheol said, "Insects, as herbal medicine resources recorded in the insect section of Donguibogam, have great potential value," and added, "We will continue to enhance industrial utilization through the scientific validation of bioactive substances derived from insects."

Meanwhile, this achievement was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine's major projects, and the research results were published online in the SCI international journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine (IF: 6.17).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.