Parkinsonism and Potential of Mucuna Beans

*Suresh S. Suryawanshi, Prajakta P. Kamble, Vishwas A. Bapat and Jyoti P. Jadhav*

### **Abstract**

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease, which is common all over the world. Various aspect like damages of reactive oxygen species, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation-facilitated cell damages are included in the etiology of disease. Good-balanced nutrition is an important part involved in the body health maintenance and reduction in the risk of chronic diseases. Genus *Mucuna* falls under family Fabaceae, containing high contents of L-DOPA (commonly used as an anti-Parkinson drug). Plant-based medicines are the superfluous source of polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, antioxidants (ROS and RNS), terpenoids, isoflavonoids, and other biologically active phytochemicals. All these molecules have health beneficial effects with superlative pharmaceutical values. The existing chapter summaries to determine the influence of different nutritional, anti-nutritional, and medicinal potential of the *Mucuna* species present in India and its significance in the management of Parkinson's disease (Shaking Palsy) as well as other medicinal values. It also covers various treatment models used in studying the Parkinson's disease like *Drosophila melanogaster*, zebrafish, mice, rat, and humans. This chapter also focuses light on the neurosurgical treatments used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. This study concluded that the use of *Mucuna* seeds for the treatment of Parkinson's disease is the best choice besides chemical drugs and other therapies.

**Keywords:** Kampavata, L-DOPA, *Mucuna*, neuroprotective, experimental models, neurosurgical remedy

## **1. Introduction**

Research in plant-based medicine is gaining much more attention due to its lack of side effects, its large availability, and its multiple medicinal applications. In the past few years, this has also increased people's awareness toward functional food, thus enhancing the consumption rate of legumes enormously [1]. The attention toward *Mucuna* improved colossally after 1937 when it was initially revealed that a huge quantity of levodopa is present in it. Genus *Mucuna,* which is familiar by different names (like: velvet beans, sea beans, cowitch, buffalo beans, cowhage, atmagupta, kapikachu, and dopa bean), is one of the conventional medicine performing crucial roles in both health and disease management. *Mucuna* is an excellent source of proteins, starch, micronutrients, dietary fiber, and bioactive compounds (L-DOPA), which play a great role in the traditional as well as modern medicine all

over the world against Parkinson's disease. The genus *Mucuna* belongs to the family *Leguminosae* distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of various countries of the world comprising hundreds of species [2]*.* Recently, Pulikkalpura et al. [3] and Patil et al. [4, 5] studied the occurrence and biochemical activities of various *Mucuna* species in India.

Plant-based remedies are most beneficial remedies, having a cumulative effect of phytochemical and other bioactive components obtained from plants. *Mucuna* has various actions like antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, wound-healing activity, and activity against snake bite. Along with all this, *Mucuna* is also rich in nutritional and anti-nutritional compounds (rich in minerals) [6]. *Mucuna* is also well known for nematicidic effects and also possesses notable allelopathic activity, which was reported by Gliessman et al. [7]. In countries like Guatemala and Mexico, it is used as a coffee substitute. Along with that, in some countries (lower hills of the eastern country and Himalayas), it is commonly consumed as vegetable beans after frying and boiling. *Mucuna* seed powder has been used in active management of Parkinson's disease in several countries due to its L-DOPA content.

In early health care system of India, Parkinson's disease (PD) is known as "Kampavata", which is a common neurological disorder related to neuromelanin containing nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuronal loss. Kampa means tremor and vata means lack of muscular movement. It was found via door-to-door survey in Bangalore (Karnataka, India) that 76 per 100, 000 (age adjusted) and 33 per 100,000 (crude prevalence) people suffered from Parkinsonism [8]. Out of that, 5–10% of individuals having PD belong to families with history of genetic disorders [9, 10]. The disease commonly occurs in the age group of 60–80. A survey on Parsi community in Mumbai shows that they were diminutively stable to PD [8]. Diagnosis of disease is sometimes difficult by clinical method, which involves analysis by considering large number of motor and non-motor symptoms in PD patients. PD is caused due to decrease in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) part of the brain, which leads to motor symptoms including rigidity, bradykinesia, tremor, and development of some non-motor symptoms in later stages of the disease. Although there is significant number of improvements in the medicinal and surgical actions against PD, scientists have not yet identified definite targets for disease management. According to research by Ramanan and Saykin, neurodegeneration is divided in to four main levels out of which aggregation and accumulation of abnormal or misfolded mutated proteins is crucial [11]. Some reports examine that oxidative stress (OS) and neuroinflammation (NIF) are the main reasons of neurodegenerative disease. Thus, to tackle these neurodegenerative disorders, researchers have diverted their attention toward finding oxidative stress enzymes and pathogenesis of PD. Abraham et al. studied 115 cases of PD and concluded that catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (G-Px), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) levels are present in greater quantities in PD patients as compared to the control patients [11]. Various oxidative stress enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, proteinase, reactive oxygen intermediates, and complement proteins are secreted by the immune cells against the neuronal cell damage response, which leads to inflammation. Along with mitochondrial dysfunction, altered proteolysis, oxidative damage of cells and Lewy bodies' formation are some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

There are various strategies for the management for PD but there is no complete cure for this disease. The only management of the lowered dopamine levels is to control various metabolic inhibitions and enhancement pathways, preventing degeneration of neurons and other non-dopaminergic (surgelogical) treatment. L-DOPA (L-3,4 dihydroxy phenylalanine) is a non-protein amino acid used in the

**137**

**Figure 1.**

*Parkinsonism and Potential of Mucuna Beans DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92855*

and other treatments used in treating Parkinson's disease.

**2. Treatment strategies of Parkinson's disease**

*Synthesis pathway of L-DOPA, dopamine and further metabolites.*

**2.1 Neuroprotective potential of** *Mucuna*

treatment of Parkinson's disease. It acts as precursor of dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine (adrenaline). It is synthesized by plants, animals, and microbes (bacterial and fungus) and has a different role in each source. Chemical synthesis of L-DOPA is easy but the purification of L and D forms is slightly complicated and expensive. Synthetic L-DOPA is considered as anti-nutritional factor and its consumption causes abdominal distention, vomiting, dyskinesia, nausea, etc. This happens when L-DOPA is converted to dopamine in the peripheral nervous system by enzyme dopa decarboxylase. Whereas, L-dopa is also used as the treatment against infertility recovering the spermatogenic harm to some extent. Numerous other secondary metabolites produced by plants like flavonoids and phenolics illustrate strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potentials, which have a significant role in the management of health and disease of human beings. The current book chapter is focused on the use of plant source of L-DOPA and neuroprotective potential of magical dopa beans and their special prominence in Parkinson's disease treatment. Along with this we have also focused on the models

Parkinson's disease (PD) was initially discovered by Dr. James Parkinson in 1817; it is a chronic neurological disorder triggered by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons present in the nigrostriatal part of the brain and found to be common in U.S [12]. In 1970, only few effective drugs were available for treatment of the PD but there is no such therapy yet that completely treats PD. Only thing we can do is to stop the progression of Parkinson's disease or delay the of PD by replacement of dopaminergic neuron or by mimicking the neuron by using substituent. Management of PD is mainly divided into two categories: first involves improving symptomatic treatment of motor and non-motor types of symptoms and second will be addressing potential causes of PD. Firstly in 1978 Vaidya et al., published the report that PD can be treated by *Mucuna* extract, a natural source of levodopa having better activity than the synthetic version of levodopa drug [13]. Similar studies were reported in 1990 and 1994 by Kempster et al. and Rabey et al. [14, 15]. L-DOPA is a precursor of dopamine (**Figure 1**), norepinephrine (noradrenaline),

*Parkinsonism and Potential of Mucuna Beans DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92855*

*Bioethics in Medicine and Society*

various *Mucuna* species in India.

over the world against Parkinson's disease. The genus *Mucuna* belongs to the family *Leguminosae* distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of various countries of the world comprising hundreds of species [2]*.* Recently, Pulikkalpura et al. [3] and Patil et al. [4, 5] studied the occurrence and biochemical activities of

Plant-based remedies are most beneficial remedies, having a cumulative effect of phytochemical and other bioactive components obtained from plants. *Mucuna* has various actions like antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, wound-healing activity, and activity against snake bite. Along with all this, *Mucuna* is also rich in nutritional and anti-nutritional compounds (rich in minerals) [6]. *Mucuna* is also well known for nematicidic effects and also possesses notable allelopathic activity, which was reported by Gliessman et al. [7]. In countries like Guatemala and Mexico, it is used as a coffee substitute. Along with that, in some countries (lower hills of the eastern country and Himalayas), it is commonly consumed as vegetable beans after frying and boiling. *Mucuna* seed powder has been used in active management of

Parkinson's disease in several countries due to its L-DOPA content.

In early health care system of India, Parkinson's disease (PD) is known as "Kampavata", which is a common neurological disorder related to neuromelanin containing nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuronal loss. Kampa means tremor and vata means lack of muscular movement. It was found via door-to-door survey in Bangalore (Karnataka, India) that 76 per 100, 000 (age adjusted) and 33 per 100,000 (crude prevalence) people suffered from Parkinsonism [8]. Out of that, 5–10% of individuals having PD belong to families with history of genetic disorders [9, 10]. The disease commonly occurs in the age group of 60–80. A survey on Parsi community in Mumbai shows that they were diminutively stable to PD [8]. Diagnosis of disease is sometimes difficult by clinical method, which involves analysis by considering large number of motor and non-motor symptoms in PD patients. PD is caused due to decrease in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) part of the brain, which leads to motor symptoms including rigidity, bradykinesia, tremor, and development of some non-motor symptoms in later stages of the disease. Although there is significant number of improvements in the medicinal and surgical actions against PD, scientists have not yet identified definite targets for disease management. According to research by Ramanan and Saykin, neurodegeneration is divided in to four main levels out of which aggregation and accumulation of abnormal or misfolded mutated proteins is crucial [11]. Some reports examine that oxidative stress (OS) and neuroinflammation (NIF) are the main reasons of neurodegenerative disease. Thus, to tackle these neurodegenerative disorders, researchers have diverted their attention toward finding oxidative stress enzymes and pathogenesis of PD. Abraham et al. studied 115 cases of PD and concluded that catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (G-Px), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) levels are present in greater quantities in PD patients as compared to the control patients [11]. Various oxidative stress enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, proteinase, reactive oxygen intermediates, and complement proteins are secreted by the immune cells against the neuronal cell damage response, which leads to inflammation. Along with mitochondrial dysfunction, altered proteolysis, oxidative damage of cells and Lewy bodies' formation are some of the symptoms of

There are various strategies for the management for PD but there is no complete cure for this disease. The only management of the lowered dopamine levels is to control various metabolic inhibitions and enhancement pathways, preventing degeneration of neurons and other non-dopaminergic (surgelogical) treatment. L-DOPA (L-3,4 dihydroxy phenylalanine) is a non-protein amino acid used in the

**136**

Parkinson's disease.

treatment of Parkinson's disease. It acts as precursor of dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine (adrenaline). It is synthesized by plants, animals, and microbes (bacterial and fungus) and has a different role in each source. Chemical synthesis of L-DOPA is easy but the purification of L and D forms is slightly complicated and expensive. Synthetic L-DOPA is considered as anti-nutritional factor and its consumption causes abdominal distention, vomiting, dyskinesia, nausea, etc. This happens when L-DOPA is converted to dopamine in the peripheral nervous system by enzyme dopa decarboxylase. Whereas, L-dopa is also used as the treatment against infertility recovering the spermatogenic harm to some extent. Numerous other secondary metabolites produced by plants like flavonoids and phenolics illustrate strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potentials, which have a significant role in the management of health and disease of human beings.

The current book chapter is focused on the use of plant source of L-DOPA and neuroprotective potential of magical dopa beans and their special prominence in Parkinson's disease treatment. Along with this we have also focused on the models and other treatments used in treating Parkinson's disease.
