Nurr1-Based Therapies for Parkinson's Disease

Previous studies have documented that orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 (also known as NR4A2) plays important roles in the midbrain dopamine (DA) neuron development, differentiation, and survival. Furthermore, it has been reported that the defects in Nurr1 are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Thus, Nurr1 might be a potential therapeutic target for PD. Emerging evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies has recently demonstrated that Nurr1-activating compounds and Nurr1 gene therapy are able not only to enhance DA neurotransmission but also to protect DA neurons from cell injury induced by environmental toxin or microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. Moreover, modulators that interact with Nurr1 or regulate its function, such as retinoid X receptor, cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway, have the potential to enhance the effects of Nurr1-based therapies in PD. This review highlights the recent progress in preclinical studies of Nurr1-based therapies and discusses the outlook of this emerging therapy as a promising new generation of PD medication.