Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated as the leading biochemical cause of neuronal death in various
neurologic disorders, including
Parkinson's disease. In the present study, neuromodulatory effects of
crocetin (active constituent of Crocus sativus) in a
6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of rat
Parkinsonism were investigated. Male Wistar rats were pre-treated with
crocetin (25, 50 and 75 microg/kg
body weight) for 7 days and subjected to unilateral intrastriatal injection of 10 microg
6-OHDA on day 8. Locomotion and rotation were observed on day 23 post-injection, and after 4 weeks, striatum and substantia nigra were dissected out by
decapitation. Activity of
antioxidant enzymes and content of
dopamine (DA) and its metabolites were estimated in striatum, whereas
glutathione (GSH) content and
thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (
TBARS) were evaluated in substantia nigra. Levels of GSH and
dopamine were protected, while
TBARS content was attenuated in
crocetin-treated groups. The activity of
antioxidant enzymes was decreased in the lesion group, but protected in the
crocetin-treated groups. These findings were supported by the histopathologic findings in the substantia nigra that showed that
crocetin protects neurons from deleterious effects of
6-OHDA. This study revealed that
crocetin, which is an important ingredient of diet in India and also used in various systems of
indigenous medicine, is helpful in preventing
Parkinsonism and has therapeutic potential in combating this devastating
neurologic disorder.