Smilagenin Protects Dopaminergic Neurons in Chronic MPTP/Probenecid-Lesioned Parkinson's Disease Models.

ABSTRACT: Current therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD) only offer limited symptomatic alleviation but fail to hamper the progress of the disease. Thus, it is imperative to establish new approaches aiming at protecting or reversing neurodegeneration in PD. Recent work elucidates whether smilagenin (abbreviated SMI), a steroidal sapogenin from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, can take neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons in a chronic model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) conjuncted with probenecid mice. We reported for the first time that SMI significantly improved the locomotor ability of chronic MPTP/probenecid-lesioned mice. SMI increased the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive and Nissl positive neuron number in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), augme

SUBMITTER: He X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6371654 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature