Antibiotic May Stave Off Parkinson's

The antibiotic rifampicin showS promise as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease, according to results of test tube research by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The findings showed that rifampicin, which is currently used to treat tuberculosis and leprosy, can prevent formation of protein fibrils associated with the death of brain cells in Parkinson's patients. The antibiotic also dissolved existing fibrils. The study appears in the November issue of Chemistry and Biology.