Objective: This large-scale case-control study using network pharmacology and molecular docking, aimed to identify dietary and environmental risk factors of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: PD is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder with limited therapeutic options. Environmental influence and dietary variations are well-known risk factors for various diseases including neurodegenerative disorders. Preliminary evidence suggests that diet in early-life and living environment might influence the incidence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in later phase of life. There have been limited epidemiologic studies on this aspect especially in India.
Method: Patients with PD (n = 200), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (n = 150) and healthy individuals (n = 200) were recruited. Dietary intake and environmental exposures were assessed using a validated Food-Frequency and Environmental Hazard Questionnaire. Cox regression models were applied to assess the association between dietary intake, environmental factors and mortality risk. Subsequently, network pharmacology approaches (Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, enrichment analyses) and molecular docking were conducted to predict dietary and environmental targets in PD.
Results: Intake of carbohydrate and fat was significantly higher whereas dietary fiber and fruit content was significantly lesser in PD as compared to AD and healthy age-matched controls. Meat and milk intake was significantly associated with increased mortality risk in PD and AD (p<0.01). Rural living and exercise were significantly associated with decreased mortality risk in PD (p<0.001). Network pharmacology approaches and molecular docking identified key molecular targets and pathways involved in neurodegenerations like PD and AD.
Conclusion: To our understanding, this is one of the pioneering large-scale studies identifying higher intake of certain food groups and effects of certain environmental factors that were associated with mortality risk of PD and AD. Hence, preventive strategies related to dietary and environmental modulators in PD might be clinically useful in the future.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
D. Ghosh, P. Basu, S. Mondal, S. Pal. Dietary and Environmental Risk factors of Parkinson’s Disease: An integrated study combining Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Analyses [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/dietary-and-environmental-risk-factors-of-parkinsons-disease-an-integrated-study-combining-network-pharmacology-and-molecular-docking-analyses/. Accessed November 20, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/dietary-and-environmental-risk-factors-of-parkinsons-disease-an-integrated-study-combining-network-pharmacology-and-molecular-docking-analyses/