title: [Protective effect of tripchlorolide on dopaminergic neurons in partially lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether the immunosuppressant tripchlorolide (T4) exerts neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons.
  
  
  METHODS
  A rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) was set up by transection of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) with a wire knife. The rotational behavior, HPLC-ECD, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry, ELISA methods were used to evaluate the influence on the dopaminergic neurons following T4 treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  T4 treatment was shown to effectively attenuate the rotational behavior challenged by amphetamine (2.5 mg.kg-1, i.p.) in the PD rats. T4 markedly prevented the decrease of dopamine content in the striatum and the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. T4 was found to suppress the abnormal increase of TNF-alpha and IL-2 level in brain tissues of PD rats after MFB transection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence that the immunosuppressive Chinese herb extract T4 possesses neuroprotective activities on the dopaminergic neurons in PD rats was presented. The underlying mechanism of T4 may be relevant to its immunosuppressive activity.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-xin
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Feng-qiao
authors.initials: FQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiao-min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ji-sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004224:Diterpenes; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007376:Interleukin-2; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C068051:tripchlorolide; D004298:Dopamine