THUNBERGIA LAURIFOLIA LINDL. EXTRACT ATTENUATE MOTOR IMPAIRMENT IN ACUTE MPTP MOUSE MODELS OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to motor impairment. The compound 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), is the specific neurotoxin that affects the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), and was used to induce the mice to be models of acute PD. Thunbergia laurifolia Lindl. (TL) or “Rang chuet” is an herb which is generally used for reducing the toxicity of hazardous chemicals such as pesticides. This study aims to find out whether TL extract can improve the motor impairment of the MPTP induced mouse models of PD by using pre TL and post TL treatments and observing the mouse’s latency times on rotating rods. We used an immunofluorescence against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) anti-body to determine the TH immunoreactive (TH-IR) neurons in SNpc. The results showed that latency times of the MPTP + pre TL group mouse was not significantly different from that of the control mice. Additionally, the number of TH-IR neurons of the MPTP + pre TL group was higher than that of the MPTP + post TL, yet was less different (p < 0.01) than that of the MPTP + post TL (p < 0.001) when compared with control. Our results confirmed that the pre-treatment of TL extract in the MPTP mouse model of PD reduces motor impairment of the MPTP mouse models of PD. These might shed light on the how to use TL leaf extracts to protect the motor impairment of people who have been intoxicated by hazardous chemicals.