Potential Effects of Pomegranate Juice in Attenuating LID in Mice Model of Parkinson Disease

Purpose: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most important neurodegenerative diseases, known with tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia resulted from chronic degeneration and death of sub thalamic nucleus (STN). According to the treatment benefits of levodopa on Parkinson, long-term levodopa administration causes some complications called levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) with poorly understood pathogenesis. Literature shows that polyphenol rich compound like pomegranate protect neurons of animals that are Parkinson induced, with some controversy. Objectives: In this study, the potential effects of pomegranate in attenuating LID in parkinsonian mice induced with 4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) were investigated. Materials: Mouse model of PD was induced by MPTP. To induce LID, valid PD mice were treated with levodopa (50 mg/kg, i.p) for 21 days. Then the effects of chronic co-administration of pomegranate juice (20 ml/kg) orally, with levodopa and continuing for another 20 days, evaluated. Behavioural tests were performed in all groups, every other day including: Abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs), cylinder and catatonia tests. Results: Levodopa in chronic administration induced dyskinesia that observed in AIMs and cylinder tests for 3 weeks when compared to untreated animals (P<0.05 or 0.01) depending the time course). Besides, catatonia was recorded after two weeks and mounted time-dependently compared to control (P<0.01). Chronic pomegranate co-administration improved AIMs scores for next 20 days (P<0.01, in following days, compared to no-pomegranate treated group), attenuated cylinder scores and catatonia rates dramatically and time dependently (P<0.01). Conclusion: Chronic pomegranate co-administration improved movements in all test results. It is then, concluded that pomegranate can be a good adjunct for attenuating LID and catatonia in mice.