MFN2-a multifaceted guardian against Parkinson's pathophysiology: mitochondria, ferroptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress.

Abstract

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide and its exact pathogenesis remains unclear. This study aims to comprehensively explore the role of MFN2 in PD based on in vivo and in vitro models for multidimensional understanding.

Methods: In vivo, C57BL/6 J male mice were administered MPTP and probenecid by intraperitoneal injection to establish PD models. Lentivirus carrying MFN2 was microinjected into the bilateral striatum of specific groups of mice. The motor and cognitive functions of the mice were evaluated using the rotarod test and the open field test. In vitro, SH-SY5Y cells were treated with MPP⁺ to establish cell-based PD models. Transfection of plasmids was used to achieve overexpression or knockdown of MFN2. Subsequently, a series of experiments such as qRT-PCR, Western blot, CCK-8, flow cytometry and ELISA were used to verify the potential mechanism of MFN2.

Results: In PD models, the expressions of DHODH, MFN1, MFN2, GPX4, and FSP1 were significantly down-regulated, and their motor coordination, self-cognitive behavior, and exploration ability were decreased. Concurrently, inflammatory and oxidative stress responses were enhanced, cell viability was weakened, apoptosis was increased, and mitochondrial abnormalities were observed. Overexpression of MFN2 improved the motor, cognitive and neurological damage in mice, enhanced cell viability, inhibited apoptosis, reduced the levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress factors, and up-regulated the expressions of DHODH, MFN1, GPX4 and FSP1. Mitochondrial morphological observation showed that MFN2 overexpression alleviated mitochondrial abnormalities.

Conclusion: MFN2 may play a protective role in PD by regulating mitochondrial function, ferroptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress-related factors, providing a new theoretical basis and potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of PD.