Abstract
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by progressive death of dopaminergic neurons. The presently used medicines only tackle the symptoms of PD, but none makes a dent on the processes that underpin the disease’s development. Herbal medicines have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst (Brahmi) has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to enhance memory and intelligence. Herein, we assessed the neuroprotective role of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst on Parkinson’s disease.Aim of the Study: Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst, a medicinal herb, is widely used as a brain tonic. We investigated the neuroprotective and neurorescue properties of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst extract (BME) in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mice model of PD.Materials and Methods: The mice model of MPTP-induced PD is used in the study. In the neuroprotective (BME + MPTP) and neurorescue (MPTP + BME) experiments, the animals were administered 40 mg/kg body weight BME orally before and after MPTP administration, respectively. Effect of BME treatment was evaluated by accessing neurobehavioral parameters and levels of dopamine, glutathione, lipid peroxide, and nitrites. An in silico study was performed using AutoDock Tools 1.5.6 (ADT).Results: A significant recovery in behavioral parameters, dopamine level, glutathione level, lipid peroxides, and nitrite level was observed in BME-treated mice. Treatment with BME before or after MPTP administration has a protective effect on dopaminergic neurons, as evidenced by a significant decrease in GFAP immunostaining and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the substantia nigra region; however, the degree of improvement was more prominent in mice receiving BME treatment before MPTP administration. Moreover, the in silico study revealed that the constituents of BM, including bacosides, bacopasides, and bacosaponins, can inactivate the enzyme monoamine oxidase B, thus preventing the breakdown of MPTP to MPP+.Conclusion: Our results showed that BME exerts both neuroprotective and neurorescue effects against MPTP-induced degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Moreover, BME may slow down the disease progression and delay the onset of neurodegeneration in PD.
Highlights
Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst (Brahmi, BM) is a reputed drug of Ayurveda (Bammidi et al, 2011)
MPTP-induced mice exhibited a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the time spent on the rotarod as compared with control mice (Figure 1A), which is in agreement with previous studies (Singh et al, 2020)
Grip strength was significantly decreased in mice treated with MPTP compared with the control group (Figure 1B)
Summary
Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst (Brahmi, BM) is a reputed drug of Ayurveda (Bammidi et al, 2011). It belongs to Scrophulariaceae family, which represents 220 genera with more than 4,500 species, and typically grows in the wetlands of southern India and Australia. Of all the Indian herbs, BM was, and still considered as, the premier herb for treating brain disorders and age-related mental decline as well as for improving cognitive functions. BM has been utilized as a brain tonic, diuretic, antidepressant, revitalizer of sensory organs, cardiotonic, antianxiety, and anticonvulsant agent (Chopra et al, 1956, 2004). The main constituents of BM are dammarane type of triterpenoid saponins called bacosides, with jujubogenin or pseudojujubogenin moieties as a glycone unit. Novel saponins called bacopasides I–XII have been identified recently. Bacoside A, which is a blend of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopasaponin C, and a jujubogenin isomer of bacosaponin C, is the most studied compound of BM (Aguiar and Borowski, 2013)
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