Abstract
BackgroundParkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting a large number of elderly people worldwide. The current therapies for PD are symptom‐based; they do not provide a cure but improve the quality of life. Muscular dysfunction is the hallmark clinical feature of PD and oxidative stress and inflammation play a critical role in its pathogenesis. Epalrestat is used for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy and is known to improve antioxidative defense mechanisms in the CNS. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the role of Epalrestat in the reserpine induced mouse model of PD.MethodWe used Swiss Albino mice for the PD model and tested for akinesia/bradykinesia, muscular rigidity, palpebral ptosis, and tremor, as well as conducting swim and open field tests. Brain samples were used to determine oxidative stress parameters and infiltration of immune cells.ResultsEpalrestat treatment significantly improved akinesia and bradykinesia, muscular dysfunctions, tremor level, and gait functions compared to the reserpine group. It also improved the latency in the swim test. Eplarestat significantly reduced lipid peroxidation and NO concentration in different brain tissues and increased the activity of antioxidative enzymes, glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. Furthermore, Epalrestat reduced neuroinflammation by reducing the number of infiltrating immune cells.ConclusionEplarestat improves muscular dysfunction in PD by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
Highlights
There are more than 385.4 million people in Asia aged 60 years or older, and there are more than 41.9 million people who are 80 years of age or older.[1]
We evaluated the cells in the substantia nigra (SN) and noticed that the number of cells was reduced in the Epalrestat group compared to the reserpine treated mice (Figure 7A-D)
When we evaluated the morphology of these cells, we noticed that a substantial proportion of these cell populations were polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells, having a characteristic feature of multi-lobed nuclei (Figure 7B,C,J,K)
Summary
There are more than 385.4 million people in Asia aged 60 years or older, and there are more than 41.9 million people who are 80 years of age or older.[1]. Because of the large number of elderly people and the steady increase in the elderly population, chronic debilitating diseases that affect people over 60 years old are of major concern.[1] Parkinson's disease (PD) is one such debilitating disease that afflicts the elderly. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, affecting a significant number of people around the world. In our current study, we evaluated the role of Epalrestat in a mouse model of PD
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