Melatonin & Parkinson's disease

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1: Brain Res. 2002 Jul 12;943(2):163-73. Related Articles, Links

Protective effect of melatonin in a chronic experimental model of

Parkinson's disease.

Antolin I, Mayo JC, Sainz RM, del Brio Mde L, Herrera F, V,

C.

Departmento de Morfologia y Biologia Celular, Facultad de Medicina,

Universidad de Oviedo, C/ n Claveria, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias,

Spain.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic condition characterized by cell

death of dopaminergic neurons mainly in the substantia nigra. Among

the several experimental models used in mice for the study of

Parkinson's disease 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-

(MPTP-) induced parkinsonism is perhaps the most commonly used. This

neurotoxin has classically been applied acutely or sub-acutely to

animals. In this paper we use a chronic experimental model for the

study of Parkinson's disease where a low dose (15 mg/kg bw) of MPTP

was administered during 35 days to mice to induce nigral cell death

in a non-acute way thus emulating the chronic condition of the

disease in humans. Free radical damage has been implicated in the

origin of this degeneration. We found that the antioxidant melatonin

(500 microg/kg bw) prevents cell death as well as the damage induced

by chronic administration of MPTP measured as number of nigral

cells, tyrosine hydroxylase levels, and several ultra-structural

features. Melatonin, which easily passes the blood-brain barrier and

lacks of any relevant side-effect, is proposed as a potential

therapy agent to prevent the disease and/or its progression.

PMID: 12101038 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

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