From pathological point of view, NMS are the consequence of the formation of intracytoplasmic Lewy bodies and neurites rich in αSyn aggregates in nigral and extranigral areas.
αSyn is a small, 140 amino acid presynaptic acidic protein encoded by the
SNCA gene whose main function seems to be the control of neurotransmitter release [
25]. It is a vesicle-bound multimer consisting of three distinct regions: 1) the N-terminus (residues 1-60) crucial for its interaction with lipid membranes [
26,
27]; 2) the central hydrophobic region (residues 61-95) prone to aggregation named non-amyloid-ß component (NAC region) [
28] 3) the unstructured C-terminus (residues 96-140) highly negatively charged with Ca
2+ binding and chaperone-like activity [
29].
In the CNS, it exists in a soluble cytosolic fraction (for as much as 1% of the total protein) and in two membrane- and vesicle-binding forms: via C-terminal domain it interacts with vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 leading to the formation of vesicle clusters [
30] and affecting vesicle docking as well as the inhibition of vesicle fusion, while via N-terminal region αSyn was found to bind membrane lipids. This membrane-binding pool seems to prevent the pathological aggregation [
31,
32,
33]. Mutations in this domain are associated with PD pathology [
34,
35]. On the contrary, the cytosolic fraction is intrinsically disordered and behaves like a natively unfolded protein, contributing to the formation of aggregate species [
36].
Different factors, such as genetic mutations [
37], elevated levels of αSyn, mitochondrial dysfunction [
38], oxidative stress (OS) [
39], endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress [
40] dysregulation of synaptic vesicle recycling [
41], and autophagy-lysosomal system [
42], are well-known to concur to the αSyn misfolding, formation of β-sheet rich oligomers and fibrils in Lewy bodies or Lewy neurites accompanying NMS [
43,
44,
45,
46]. Studies also support the contribution of neuroinflammation in NMS [
47,
48,
49], pointing to the essential components of the innate immune response such as the toll-like receptors (TLRs) [
50,
51,
52,
53]. In particular, pathogen associated molecular patterns and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) can prime and activate the TLRs creating a neuroinflammatory status which may culminate with neuronal death in specific brain areas [
54]. Human studies suggest a role for TLR2 and TLR4 in the recognition of toxic species of αSyn as a DAMP which precede the αSyn aggregation [
55,
56]. Furthermore, polymorphisms in the
SNCA gene are also well recognized factors concurring in the non-motor signs development [
57]. NMS also are the consequence of the diffusion of the pathological species of αSyn. In fact, αSyn aggregates spread between interconnected brain areas in a cell-to-cell and prion-like fashion which involve neurons and non-neuronal cells [
58,
59]. Transsynaptical transmission of αSyn may be triggered by the oligomeric αSyn-mediate microglia activation in the early phases of the disease [
60] or by interactions between endogenous αSyn and mitochondria [
61,
62]. However, cells differentially mediate the uptake of the αSyn fibrils involving processes such as receptor-mediated endocytosis, extracellular vesicles and tunneling nanotubes. Fibrils can be sequestered and degraded into lysosomes or be trafficked into the cytosol via endocytic pathways, where they can interact with and recruit monomeric αSyn into mature pathological inclusions [
63]. In addition, fibrils can be released by damaged or dead cells following mitochondrial dysfunction [
38,
51,
64], disruption of redox balance [
39], nitrosative stress [
65]
, impaired autophagic flux [
42], and prolonged ER stress [
40]. Oligomeric αSyn may alter the voltage-gate receptors resulting in impairment of calcium efflux [
66,
67].
2.1. Oxidative/Nitrosative Stress
A bidirectional relationship between oxidative/nitrosative stress and αSyn toxicity exists [
68]. High levels of reactive oxidative species (ROS) within the neurons have been suggested to induce αSyn toxicity [
69,
70,
71]. Excessive OS, cause peroxidation of the membrane lipids followed by the production of the highly toxic 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. This compound induces the formation of beta sheets and toxic soluble oligomers of αSyn which are believed to promote neuronal damage [
72,
73]. Over, hydroxyl radical species can react with tyrosine residues on αSyn contributing to the formation of intramolecular oxidative covalent cross-linkage between two tyrosine residues known as the dityrosine bond [
74]. Two opposing effects have been described for dityrosine: (i) formation and stabilization of αSyn insoluble fibrils or aggregates [
75]
, and (ii) inhibition of αSyn fibrillation by dityrosine-modified monomer and dimers [
74]. As aggregation proceeds, dityrosine formation shifts from an aggregation-inhibiting to an aggregation-promoting element [
76]. The higher-order assembly as well as increased stability of growing fibrils appear significantly to reduce their capacity to seed further aggregation because to the minor available surface area for serving as effectives nucleation site and the conversion to less dynamic structures. Again, changes in hydrophobicity or charge distribution aside from changing the equilibrium between monomers, oligomers, and fibrils could influence the incorporation of additional monomers and aggregation kinetics [
77].
Hypochlorite-oxidized cysteinyl-dopamine obtained by exposing cysteinyl-dopamine to hypochlorite is considered a potent redox cycler able to accelerate OS and contribute to an excessive demand for autophagy and ultimately to cell death [
78]. Additionally, post-translationally aberrant S-nitrosylation by reactive nitrogen species and nitric oxide in neurons is known to induce to aSyn misfolding and toxicity, axo-dendritic-, and dopamine dysfunction [
79]. Moreover, Kumar et al. [
80] showed that S-nitrosylation of the ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-1 provides a nucleation to the native aSyn accelerating the protein aggregation.
2.2. Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in the pathogenesis of PD [
81]. Several neurotoxins have been found to provoke high levels of ROS, complex I inhibition and neuronal damage [
70]. Additionally, abnormal levels or misfolded forms of αSyn can disrupt the balance of mitochondrial fission and fusion and transport, leading to fragmentate or aggregate mitochondria, impairment of mitochondrial trafficking, electron transport chain, and calcium signaling [
81,
82]. αSyn can interact with complex I, resulting in decreased ATP production and increased ROS [
83]. The selective autophagic degradation of damaged mitochondria can overwhelm the cellular proteostasis, leading to the accumulation of misfolded αSyn and mitochondrial dysfunction [
84,
85,
86]. αSyn can trigger the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, causing mitochondrial swelling and loss of membrane potential [
87] and can interact with other proteins involved in mitochondrial quality control, such as Parkin and PINK [
88]. Dysregulation of these interactions can impair mitochondrial function and dynamics, contributing to the pathogenesis of PD.
2.5. Autophagic/Lysosomal Disruption
Autophagic/lysosomal disruption is closely linked to αSyn toxicity, particularly in the context of PD. Autophagy-lysosome pathway is a crucial mechanism deputy to degradation and recycling of damaged misfolded proteins, which include autophagosome formation, fusion with lysosomes and degradation by lysosomal hydrolases. Overexpression or aggregation of αSyn can disrupt the autophagy-lysosome pathway leading to the accumulation of misfolded αSyn in the brain, while, inefficient clearance of αSyn aggregates facilitates their spread to neighboring cells, propagating the proteotoxicity. The translocation of cytosolic αSyn to the lysosome lumen is mediated by binding of heat shock cognate 70 chaperone to the KFERQ sequence which, with other co-chaperones, directs the αSyn to the chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) adaptor Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein 2 (LAMP2A) located on the lysosomal membrane. Under stress conditions, exposure of the KFERQ motif can trigger CMA to remove harmful αSyn. Dysregulation of CMA is related to impaired degradation of αSyn and may contribute to the pathogenesis of PD [
97].
Autophagy of mitochondria, or mitophagy, is intricately regulated by specific posttranslational modifications that “tag” the cargo for degradation, and by the Tank-binding kinase 1-mediated phosphorylation of
optineurin that enhances its binding to ubiquitin and light chain 3 (LC3). Once bound to the ubiquitinated mitochondria, adaptors recruit LC3 so that the mitochondria are encapsulated by a double membrane structure called the autophagosome. Then, the autophagosome fuses with a lysosome forming an autolysosome, where the mitochondria are degraded and recycled [
98]. Elevated αSyn levels inhibit macrophagic flux. Moreover, mutant forms of αSyn, such as A53T and A30P, exhibit a stronger binding affinity for LAMP2A which impairs the efficiency of αSyn clearance [
99]. A53T and E46K αSyn variants also engage functional LC3B monomers into insoluble microaggregates on the surface of late endosomes favoring αSyn exosome excretion and seeding [
79].
2.6. Metals
Although the precise role of metals in the pathogenesis of PD is still debated, multiple evidence suggest their involvement in conformational effects related to the binding of metal ions to αSyn and subsequent aggregation and accumulation. Elevated levels of metals such as iron, zinc, aluminum, lead, and copper have been found in the brain and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of PD patients [
100]. Albeit with different affinities and stoichiometries, metals, especially copper, can establish electrostatic interactions with C-terminus of αSyn, more strongly with Tyr-125 and Ser-129 phosphorylate αSyn (p-αSyn), increasing their propensity to fibrillation. The aggregation speed of the acetylated A53T variant is higher with respect to wild type protein, suggesting an intrinsic self-assembly of the αSyn mutants into aggregates [
101]. The toxicity of iron has also been investigated. Abeyawardhane et al. [
102] suggest that the impact of Fe(II) on aSyn structure is higher than Fe(III) because its more elevated reactivity with O
2 which resulting in the production of H
2O
2 and triggering b-sheet generation; it act either as initiator and as a potential allosteric cofactor of protein misfolding [
103]. αSyn interact with both oxidation states of copper ions (Cu(I) and (Cu(II)) generating ROS, and contributing to OS and potentially leading to aggregation into pathological fibrils [
104]. Aluminum is a metal that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and accumulate in the brain [
105]. It has been found to co-localize with Biondi ring tangles in PD brains [
106]. There is evidence suggesting that aluminum can induce OS, or directly interact with αSyn, or disrupt the balance of essential ions in the brain, thus accelerating the fibrillation process of αSyn aggregation and contributing to the development and progression of PD.