Ana Verónica Domingues

Mrs. Ana Verónica Domingues


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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28 January 2020 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Fábio G. TeixeiraFábio G. Teixeira
Fábio G. Teixeira
HFHelena Vilaça Faria
Helena Vilaça Faria
ADAna Verónica Domingues
Ana Verónica Domingues
Jonas CamposJonas Campos
Jonas Campos
António SalgadoAntónio Salgado
António Salgado
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by the massive loss of dopaminergic neurons, leading to the appearance of several motor impairments. Current pharmacological treatments, such as the use of levodopa, are yet unable to cure the disease. Therefore, there is a need for novel strategies, particularly those that can combine in an integrated manner neuroprotection and neuroregeneration properties. In vitro and in vivo models have recently revealed that the secretome of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) holds a promising potential for treating PD, given its effects on neural survival, proliferation, differentiation. In the present study, we aimed to access the impact of human bone marrow MSCs (hBM-MSCs) secretome in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) PD model when compared to levodopa administration, by addressing animals’ motor performance, and substantia nigra (SN), and striatum (STR) histological parameters by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression. Results revealed that hBM-MSCs secretome per se appears to be a modulator of the dopaminergic system, enhancing TH-positive cells expression (e.g., dopaminergic neurons) and terminals both in the SN and STR when compared to the untreated group 6-OHDA. Such finding was positively correlated with a significant amelioration of the motor outcomes of 6-OHDA PD animals (assessed by the staircase test). Thus, the present findings support hBM-MSCs secretome administration as a potential therapeutic tool in treating PD, and although we suggest candidate molecules (Trx1, SEMA7A, UCHL1, PEDF, BDNF, Clusterin, SDF-1, CypA, CypB, Cys C, VEGF, DJ-1, Gal-1, GDNF, CDH2, IL-6, HSP27, PRDX1, UBE3A, MMP-2, and GDN) and possible mechanisms of hBM-MSCs secretome-mediated effects, further detailed studies are needed to carefully and clearly define which players may be responsible for its therapeutic actions. By doing so, it will be reasonable to presume that potential treatments that can, per se, or in combination modulate or slow PD may lead to a rational design of new therapeutic or adjuvant strategies for its functional modeling and repair.