Neuroprotective Effect of Quercetin in a Model of Parkinson’s Disease in Rat: A histochemical Analysis

Introduction: parkinson’s disease (pd) is a neuropathological disorder involving the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, with the subsequent loss of their terminals in the striatum. quercetin, a natural flavonoid, is a strong antioxidant and radical scavenger. therefore, its neuroprotective effect in a model of parkinson’s disease in rat was evaluated. methods: for this purpose, unilateral intrastriatal 6- hydroxydopamine (6-ohda) -lesioned rats were pretreated with quercetin (20 mg/kg; i.p.) 1 hour before surgery and treated once a day for one month. nissl-stained neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta (snc) were counted. results: number of nissl-stained neurons in left side of snc of lesion group was lower relative to sham-operated group (p<0.005) and it was higher in quercetin-treated lesion group as compared to untreated lesion group (p<0.01). discussion: flavonoid quercetin administration for one month could protect the neurons of snc against 6-ohda toxicity.