The influence and the mechanism of docosahexaenoic acid on a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the oxidative stress that occurs in an experimental mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD). An experimental model of PD was created by four intraperitoneal injections of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) (4 × 20 mg/kg, at 12h intervals). Docosahexaenoic acid was given daily by gavage for 4 weeks (36 mg/kg/day). The motor activity of the mice was evaluated via the pole test, and the dopaminergic lesion was determined by immunohistochemical analysis for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunopositive cells. The activity of antioxidant enzymes in the brain were determined by spectrophotometric assays and the concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were measured as an index of oxidative damage. The number of apoptotic dopaminergic cells significantly increased in MPTP-treated mice compared to controls. Although DHA significantly diminished the number of cell deaths in MPTP-treated mice, it did not improve the decreased motor activity observed in the experimental PD model. Docosahexaenoic acid significantly diminished the amount of cell death in the MPTP+DHA group as compared to the MPTP group. TBARS levels in the brain were significantly increased following MPTP treatment. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) activities of brain were unaltered in all groups. The activity of brain superoxide dismutase (SOD) was decreased in the MPTP-treated group compared to the control group, but DHA treatment did not have an effect on SOD activity in the MPTP+DHA group. Our current data show that DHA treatment exerts neuroprotective actions on an experimental mouse model of PD. There was a decrease tendency in brain lipid oxidation of MPTP mice but it did not significantly.

Ozsoy O ，Seval-Celik Y ，Hacioglu G ，Yargicoglu P ，Demir R ，Agar A ，Aslan M ... -  《-》

Neuroprotective effect of metformin in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease in mice.

Metformin a well known antidiabetic drug has been recently investigated and proposed to promote neurogenesis and enhance the spatial memory formation. In the present study, we aim to investigate the neuroprotective effect of metformin with respect to Parkinson's disease (PD). MPTP (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) (25mg/kg) along with Probenecid (250 mg/kg) was administrated for five consecutive days to induce Parkinsonism in mice. Metformin 500 mg/kg was administrated orally for 21 days. Motor co-ordination and locomotor activities were evaluated by rotarod and open-field tests. The oxidative stress levels were assessed by estimating the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) specifically in the midbrain. Dopaminergic degeneration was evaluated by analyzing the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) by immunostaining and nissl staining of the substantia nigra (SN) region of the brain. In addition brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was also estimated. Our findings demonstrated that long-term metformin treatment resulted in significant improvement of the locomotor and muscular activities in MPTP-treated mice than acute treatment. Metformin treatment significantly improved the antioxidant activity as compared to MPTP-treated group. TH-positive cells decreased up to 16% in MPTP-treated mice as compared to normal mice (P<0.001) and were found to be protected from degeneration in metformin-treated mice (47%, P<0.01). Interestingly, BDNF levels were found to be significantly elevated in metformin treatment group as compared to MPTP treatment mice (P<0.001). In conclusion, metformin possesses neuroprotective activity and provides preclinical support for therapeutic prospective of this compound in the treatment of PD.

Patil SP ，Jain PD ，Ghumatkar PJ ，Tambe R ，Sathaye S ... -  《-》

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation induced by docosahexaenoic acid protects dopaminergic neurons in an experimental model of Parkinson's disease.

Parlak H ，Ozkan A ，Dilmac S ，Tanriover G ，Ozsoy O ，Agar A ... -  《-》

Attenuation by Nardostachys jatamansi of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced parkinsonism in rats: behavioral, neurochemical, and immunohistochemical studies.

Ahmad M ，Yousuf S ，Khan MB ，Hoda MN ，Ahmad AS ，Ansari MA ，Ishrat T ，Agrawal AK ，Islam F ... -  《PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR》

Enhanced susceptibility to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine neurotoxicity in high-fat diet-induced obesity.

Choi JY ，Jang EH ，Park CS ，Kang JH ... -  《-》