The antioxidant drink effective microorganism-X (EM-X) pre-treatment attenuates the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion rat model of Parkinson's disease
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29 August 2022
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The antioxidant drink effective microorganism-X (EM-X) pre-treatment attenuates the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion rat model of Parkinson's disease
There is continued interest in the assessment and potential use of antioxidants as neuroprotective
agents in diseases associated with increased oxidative stress, such as Parkinson’s disease. The neuroprotective effect of a natural antioxidant drink, EM-X (a ferment derivative of unpolished rice,
papaya and seaweeds with effective microorganisms), was investigated using the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesion rat model of Parkinson’s disease. The nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons
were unilaterally lesioned with 6-OHDA (8 g) in rats that were treated with a 10-times diluted
EM-X drink (dilEM-X), standard EM-X drink (stdEM-X) or tap water for 4 days. Seven days post lesion,
the integrity (no. of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells (TH+ cells) in the substantia nigra pars
compacta (SNpc)) and functionality (dopamine and its metabolites DOPAC and HVA content in the
striata) of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons were assessed. In the vehicle-treated rats, infusion of
8 g of 6-OHDA significantly reduced the number of THþ cells in the SNpc as well as the levels of
dopamine, DOPAC and HVA in the striata on the lesion side. The loss of TH+ cells, dopamine and
HVA, but not the DOPAC levels, was significantly attenuated by stdEM-X pretreatment, but not by
the dilEM-X pretreatment. There were no significant changes in the TH+ cells, or in the monoamine
levels with the EM-X pretreatment per se, except for a small but significant fall in the levels of
dopamine with the stdEM-X. The evidence presented supports the potential neuroprotective effects
of stdEM-X drink, although its effect on dopamine levels needs further investigation.