Jitai tablet (JTT) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders.We previously demonstrated that JTT\r\ntreatment led to increased level of dopamine transporter (DAT) in the striatum, thus indicating that JTT might have therapeutic\r\npotential for Parkinson�s disease (PD), which is characterized by dysregulated dopamine (DA) transmission and decreased striatal\r\nDAT expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of JTT on MPTP-induced PD mice. Using\r\nlocomotor activity test and rotarod test, we evaluated the effects of JTT (0.50, 0.15, or 0.05 g/kg) on MPTP-induced behavioral\r\nimpairments. Tyrosine hydroxylase TH-positive neurons in the substantia nigra and DAT and dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) levels\r\nin the striatum were detected by immunohistochemical staining and/or autoradiography. Levels of DA and its metabolites were\r\ndetermined by HPLC. In MPTP-treated mice, behavioral impairments were alleviated by JTT treatment. Moreover, JTT protected\r\nagainst impairment of TH-positive neurons and attenuated the MPTP-induced decreases inDAT andD2R. Finally, high dose of JTT\r\n(0.50 g/kg) inhibited the MPTP-induced increase in DA metabolism rate. Taken together, results from our present study provide\r\nevidence that JTT offers neuroprotective effects against the neurotoxicity of MPTP and thus might be a potential treatment for PD.
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