title: Protective effect of Zhen-Wu-Tang (ZWT) through keeping DA stable and VMAT 2/DAT mRNA in balance in rats with striatal lesions induced by MPTP.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Zhen-Wu-Tang (ZWT), the modified formulation of a classical Chinese prescription from "Treaties on Febrile Disease", was clinically employed to treat Parkinson's disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the neuroprotective effect of ZWT on intra-striatum injection of MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effect of ZWT on the behavioral changes (open-field test, Ladder walking, spontaneous alternation in Y maze), the dopamine transmitter systems of substantia nigra, striatum and frontal cortex of rats by HPLC-ECD, mRNA expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporter (DAT) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT 2) of the above three brain regions was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study showed that ZWT not only ameliorated the behavior induced by the administration of MPTP in striatum, but also increased DA in the brain, prevented the decreasing of TH and balanced the ratio of VMAT 2/DAT in mRNA level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that ZWT possesses neuroprotective and anti-parkinsonism properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chang-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ji-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Lu-Fan
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shi-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020267:MPTP Poisoning / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D050493:Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C493454:Slc18a2 protein, rat; D050493:Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins; C560527:zhen-wu-tang; D004298:Dopamine