title: [Effects of Chinese herbal medicine Tianqi Pingchan Granule on G protein-coupled receptor kinase 6 involved in the prevention of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in rats with Parkinson disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of Tianqi Pingchan (TQPC) Granule, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine with antitremor activity, on levodopa-induced dyskinesia and the expression of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 6 (GRK6) in rats with Parkinson disease (PD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The hemi-Parkinsonian rat model was established by sterotaxically injecting 6-hydroxydopa (6-OHDA) to the right medial forebrain bundle. Rats with PD were randomly divided into 5 groups with 5 in each. PD group was intraperitoneally injected with vitamin C; levodopa group was intraperitoneally injected with levodopa and benserazide; low-, medium- and high-dose TQPC Granule groups were intraperitoneally injected with levodopa and benserazide and treated with different dosages of TQPC Granule by gavage for 29 d. Another 5 rats were served as control with sham-operation. The behaviors of rats were observed and classified with abnormal involuntary movement (AIM) score. The expression of GRK6 in the striate of rats was detected by immunohistochemical method and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AIM score was increased and the expression of GRK6 protein in lesion side was decreased after the long-tern treatment with levodopa and benserazide in rats. The AIM scores of rats with PD were decreased after TGPC Granule treatment. Immunohistochemical results showed that the number of GRK6-positive cells in medium- and high-dose TQPC Granule groups was increased as compared to that in the levodopa group (P<0.05). The expression level of GRK6 protein was increased in medium-dose TQPC Granule group when compared with the levodopa group (P<0.01), which was observed by Western blotting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TGPC Granule can increase the expression of GRK6, inhibit the increase of AIM, and reduce the incidence of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in rats with PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xin-xin
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jiang-lei
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Zhen-guo
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020820:Dyskinesias / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D054768:G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007980:Levodopa / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007980:Levodopa; D054768:G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases; C089176:G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 6