Protective Effects of Tricin and Alpha-tocopherol on Behavioral Alterations and Dopaminergic Neuron Loss in Rotenone-Induced Neurotoxicity in Rats

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a gradually worsening neurological disorder that primarily emerges in older adults. It is marked by the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), resulting in reduced striatal dopamine (DA) content. Flavonoids are becoming increasingly recognized as novel therapeutics in treating neurological illnesses due to their antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. Tricin, a bioactive flavonoid combined with alpha-tocopherol, is proposed to offer a promising therapeutic approach for PD.

This study focused on assessing the therapeutic potential of tricin and alpha-tocopherol in a rotenone (ROT) induced animal model of PD.

ROT mediated PD model was used to test the neuroprotective activity of tricin and alpha-tocopherol. Behavioral activity, such as open field test, narrow beam walk, rota-rod, actophotometer, catalepsy bar test, grip strength test, footprint analysis, antioxidant activity, mitochondrial function and mounts of DA and its metabolic byproducts in rat SNpc, was used to ascertain the neuroprotective impact of these compounds.

Tricin, in combination with alpha-tocopherol, enhances efficacy compared to their single dosage forms and alleviates behavioral anomalies induced by ROT in experimental rats. Furthermore, it mitigated the dopaminergic toxicity caused by ROT in the animal’s striatum and SNpc. Subcellularly protected the functionality and stability of mitochondria in the rats’ SNpc from the deterioration caused by ROT. Further, investigations on the individual ingredients concerning their antioxidant activity, alpha-tocopherol showed the most antioxidant activity. The results suggest that tricin may exhibit neuroprotective effects against ROT-induced damage in rats, maybe through the Nrf2-mediated pathway. Consequently, tricin and alpha-tocopherol may be regarded as a feasible option for the treatment of PD.

The in-vivo findings suggest that the combination of tricin and alpha-tocopherol may exert synergistic neuroprotective effects, presenting a potential new therapeutic approach for managing PD.