Emerging Techniques for the Identification of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Derived Molecules Targeting Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by the aggregation of α-synuclein and substantial loss of dopaminergic neurons. While numerous neuroprotective molecules targeting Parkinson’s disease have been identified, challenges remain in optimizing the specificity, selectivity, and efficiency of these molecules. Traditional Chinese medicine has emerged as a bountiful source of natural compounds with diverse pharmacological activities, including inhibition of apoptosis or neuroinflammation, modulation of α-synuclein aggregation and clearance of α-synuclein aggregates. This review provides a comparative analysis of representative molecules derived from traditional Chinese medicine that have shown promise in advancing Parkinson’s disease treatment, including tanshinones, paeoniflorin, and ginsenosides. Moreover, the review highlights the role of leading-edge analytical techniques, particularly mass spectrometry and magnetic beads, in identifying and characterizing bioactive compounds, streamlining the process of molecule screening, and offering a more efficient approach for drug discovery. By integrating traditional herbal knowledge with modern scientific techniques, this review seeks to offer researchers constructive information about the development of novel molecules with potential for Parkinson’s disease treatment.