Exposure to phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and incidence of Parkinson’s disease

Background — Preclinical and epidemiological data suggest that phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators could have neuroprotective properties and prevent PD.

Objectives — The objective of this study was to compare the association between increased use of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and increased use of tamsulosin with PD incidence.

Methods — Our retrospective cohort study included men older than age 66 years newly exposed to phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators or tamsulosin and compared their PD incidence, using health care administrative data of Ontario, Canada.

Results — Among 265,745 men, each additional year of cumulative use of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators or tamsulosin was associated with 6% and 8% reduction, respectively, in the hazard of PD incidence. These hazards were not significantly different (P = 0.2094). A secondary analysis with the observation window starting after 6 months and 1 and 2 years showed similar results.

Conclusions — Increasing exposure to phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and tamsulosin were both associated with small reductions in PD incidence. These results support further investigation of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and tamsulosin for possible PD disease-modifying properties. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.