Crosstalk Between Parkinson's Disease and Colorectal Cancer: Genetic Mechanisms, Gut Microbiota, and Therapeutic Insights.

This review summarizes the potential genes involved in both Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis and colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis, focusing on the oncogenic mechanisms that may arise from PD gene dysfunctions. By investigating genes such as PRKN, PINK1, and DJ-1, which influence pathways primarily related to oxidative stress, mitophagy, cell cycle regulation, and inflammation, this review provides insight into how PD genes may contribute to CRC tumorigenesis through interactions with gut microbes such as Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium butyricum. This review highlights a mechanistic bridge between neurodegeneration and cancer centered on mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy, and inflammation. The convergence of molecular mechanisms and gut microbiota in PD and CRC highlights promising avenues for microbiome-targeted interventions alongside genetic and molecular approaches to advance novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for these two diseases. Importantly, therapeutic strategies should be considered in a holistic manner, as interventions for one disease may influence the course of another, and probiotics represent a unique modality with the potential to confer preventive and therapeutic benefits across both conditions.