Anti-inflammatory effects of usnic acid in an MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Abstract

Neuroinflammation is often associated with astrocyte and microglial activations particularly in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other brain damage such as Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the modulation of glial activation offers a possible target for treating PD-associated pathologies. Here, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of usnic acid, a naturally occurring dibenzofuran derivative found in several lichen species in an acute mouse model of PD. Male mice were administered with vehicle or usnic acid (5 or 25 mg/kg) for 10 consecutive days, and then on day 11, MPTP (20 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered four times (with 2hrs intervals between injections) to induce PD pathologies. It was found that MPTP-induced motor dysfunction and neuronal loss were ameliorated in the usnic acid-treated mice versus vehicle-treated controls. Further study revealed that usnic acid effectively inhibited MPP+-induced glial activation in primary astrocytes by blocking NF-κB activation. Taken together, these findings suggest that usnic acid could be considered potentially useful therapeutic candidates for PD and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with neuroinflammation.

• Authors: Seulah Lee, Yujeong Lee, Sugyeong Ha, Hae Young Chung, Hangun Kim, Jae-Seoun Hur, Jaewon Lee
• Journal: Brain research (Brain Res) Vol. 1730 Pg. 146642 (03 01 2020) ISSN: 1872-6240 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 31930999 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents
• Benzofurans
• Neuroprotective Agents
• usnic acid
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II
• Nos2 protein, mouse

Topics

• Animals
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents (administration & dosage)
• Benzofurans (administration & dosage)
• Brain (drug effects)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Dopaminergic Neurons (drug effects, pathology)
• Encephalitis (etiology, prevention & control)
• Male
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Neuroglia (drug effects, pathology)
• Neuroprotective Agents (administration & dosage)
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II (metabolism)
• Parkinsonian Disorders (chemically induced, complications)
• Rotarod Performance Test