LAUSR

Overexposure to manganese (Mn) is widely known to induce alpha‐synuclein (α‐Syn) oligomerization, which has been attributed to the oxidative damage of α‐Syn protein. Trehalose has been shown to induce autophagy and serve as a chemical chaperone, but little information has been reported about its effect on Mn‐induced α‐Syn oligomerization. In this study, we investigate whether trehalose can effectively interfere with Mn‐induced α‐Syn oligomerization, using different concentrations of trehalose (2% and 4% (g/vol [mL])) in a mouse model of manganism. After 6 weeks of exposure to Mn, both oxidative stress and autophagy were activated and resulted in α‐Syn oligomerization and neuronal cell damage in the mouse brain tissue. Our results also revealed that pretreatment with trehalose significantly reduced the oxidative damage to α‐Syn protein and increased autophagy activation. These findings clearly demonstrated that trehalose can relieve Mn‐induced α‐Syn oligomerization and neuronal cell damage through its anti‐oxidative and autophagy‐inducing effects.