[Effect of the oil from ganoderma lucidum spores on pathological changes in the substantia nigra and behaviors of MPTP-treated mice].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the oil from the spores of ganoderma lucidum, a rare Chinese herb, on the behaviors and pathological changes in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) in mouse models of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by MPTP.


METHODS
C57BL mice were divided into 3 groups, and the ganoderma spores oil + MPTP group were treated with ganoderma spores oil for 8 days, together with subcutaneous injection of MPTP (30 mg/kg) starting on the third day for 6 days; MPTP group were pretreated with normal saline before subcutaneous MPTP injection, and the normal control group received pretreatment with normal saline before subcutaneous normal saline injection. The behavioral changes of the mice in different groups were observed by pole test, dopamine and its metabolic products in the striatum determined by HPLC, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive cells detected by immunofluorescence method, and expression of TH protein by Western blotting.


RESULTS
The mice in the ganoderma spores oil + MPTP group presented significantly less involuntary movement of the limbs in the pole test than the mice in MPTP group. The levels of dopamine and DOPAC in the striatum of ganoderma spores oil-treated mice were increased as compared with those in MPTP group. The number of surviving TH-positive neurons in SNpc of mice in ganoderma spores oil + MPTP group was significantly greater than that in MPTP group, with also significantly increased TH protein expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Ganoderma spores oil has neuroprotective effect for preventing doparminergic neuron from impairment by MPTP.
Zhu
Wei-wen
WW
Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, SUN Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. zhuweiwen11@126.com
Liu
Zhuo-lin
ZL
Xu
Hao-wen
HW
Chu
Wen-zheng
WZ
Ye
Qin-yong
QY
Xie
An-mu
AM
Chen
Ling
L
Li
Jin-ru
JR
D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D020940:Reishi / Q000737:chemistry*; D013170:Spores / Q000737:chemistry; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010938:Plant Oils; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D004298:Dopamine