Objective: To compare the relative expression of miR-29a in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) receiving optimized medical therapy (OMT) versus intestinal infusion therapies—levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) and levodopa/entacapone/carbidopa intestinal gel (LECIG).
Background: Lower miR-29a expression in PD patients is associated with longer duration of PD and cognitive decline. In vitro studies discuss the neuroprotective effect of miR-29a in PD models.
Method: We examined the panel of miR in 10 patients treated with OMT, 10 patients treated with LCIG, and 10 patients treated with LECIG at baseline and after six months. The groups were matched for age, gender and duration of PD.
Results: Baseline levels of miR-29a did not significantly differ between groups OMT (M = 1.257, SD = 0.902), LCIG (M = 0.900, SD = 0.873) and LECIG (M = 1.148, SD = 0.748). In Wilcoxon analysis we found out, that after six months significantly decreased relative expression of miR-29a in OMT group (M = 0.655, SD = 0.902, p = 0.020). In intestinal infusion therapies we did not find any significant changes in relative expression of miR-29a (LCIG group – M = 0.702, SD = 0.655, p = 0.322; LECIG group – M = 1.634, SD = 1.473, p = 0.695).
Conclusion: In our study, we observed that there was a significant decrease in the relative expression of miR-29a in patients on OMT. This decrease may be associated with greater dopamine level fluctuations, potentially contributing to increased oxidative stress. The stable miR-29a expression in the intestinal infusion groups (LCIG and LECIG) could suggest a neuroprotective effect of continuous levodopa administration, potentially mitigating neuronal stress and inflammation. However, this is only one of the potential mechanisms that have not yet been sufficiently explored in vivo.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
I. Straka, S. Valaskova, Z. Andre, M. Minar, J. Kyselovic, A. Gazova. Comparative Analysis of miR-29a Expression in Optimized Medical Therapy and Intestinal Infusion Therapies in Advanced Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/comparative-analysis-of-mir-29a-expression-in-optimized-medical-therapy-and-intestinal-infusion-therapies-in-advanced-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/comparative-analysis-of-mir-29a-expression-in-optimized-medical-therapy-and-intestinal-infusion-therapies-in-advanced-parkinsons-disease/