C-phycocyanin shows neuroprotective effect against rotenone-induced Parkinson’s disease in mice

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the neuroprotective effect of C-phycocyanin in a mouse model of rotenone-induced Parkinson’s disease. Methods: C-phycocyanin (50 mg/kg, i.p., daily) was administered to rotenone (30 mg/kg, p.o., daily) treated mice for 28 days. Behavioral studies (Y-maze, rotarod, round beam walk, and wire-hang tests) were carried out to assess neurobehavioral deficits. Glutathione and malondialdehyde were determined in both serum and striatal tissue. Molecular proteins (AKT, AMPK, NF-κB, BDNF, and alpha-synuclein) in the striatum were estimated using ELISA. Histopathological analyses (hematoxylin and eosin stainning as well as Nissl staining) were carried out to assess structural abnormalities in the striatum. Results: C-phycocyanin significantly increased BDNF levels and decreased alpha-synuclein levels. It also slightly upregulated AMPK and AKT levels without significant difference compared with the rotenone group. Additionally, rotenone-induced elevated oxidative stress and structural abnormalities in the striatum were markedly mitigated by C-phycocyanin. Conclusions: C-phycocyanin might have potential neuroprotective effects against Parkinson’s disease. Further studies are warranted to verify its efficacy and to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the neuroprotective effects of C-phycocyanin in Parkinson’s disease.

Keywords

Parkinson’s disease / C-phycocyanin / Alpha-synuclein / BDNF / Oxidative stress / Rotenone

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to AUM Research Laboratories, Rakanpur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India for providing C-phycocyanin as a gift sample. The authors are also grateful to the Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University for providing various technical and infrastructural facilities for conducting the research work.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

The study received no extramural funding.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon request.

Authors’ contributions

RS, JS, and HR contributed to idea of the manuscript. HR performed literature search. HR and RS performed the experiments. RS and HR wrote this manuscript. JS supervised the project and critically reviewed the manuscript.

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