Genetic changes in regulatory immune cells induced by pramipexole and rotigotine: implications for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic degenerative disorder characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons, associated with persistent inflammation in the central nervous system. Immunoregulatory cells are known to play a critical role in controlling inflammation and providing neuroprotection. While dopamine agonists, such as pramipexole and rotigotine, have proven effects on immune cells, their activity on other types of immunoregulatory cells remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the genetic changes induced by these dopaminergic agonists in immunoregulatory cells (Tregs, CD8regs, Bregs, and the monocyte subpopulations CM, IM, and nCM) and their potential impact on regulation and neuroprotection. All immunoregulatory cell populations studied showed distinct transcriptional profiles regardless of the agonist used for stimulation. Monocytes showed more terms related to neuroprotection on gene ontology analysis. Our results suggest that different agonists induce distinct patterns of gene expression in immunoregulatory cells, affecting different signaling pathways associated with cellular components, biological processes, and molecular functions, mostly associated with suppressor function and with possible effects on neurons. These findings may help us understand and potentially improve the immune effects of current treatments.