Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration on the cerebellum of adult male Balb/c mice

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by a gradual decline in dopaminergic neurons within the nigrostriatal region. Recent evidence from multiple perspectives, including morphology, pathophysiology, and clinical observations, highlights the significant role of the cerebellum in PD symptom manifestation (1,2). Specifically, the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus, which receives input from the cerebellum, becomes a crucial target for managing Parkinsonian resting tremors through stimulation or lesioning(3). Given the complexity of PD’s etiology and the treatment challenges, developing a comprehensive model that replicates the diverse pathologies contributing to the observed range of symptoms could be beneficial

Method: 20 adult male Balb/c mice used for this study were divided into two groups of 10 mice each. The control animals were given 0.2mls of PBS daily for five consecutive days while the MPTP group received 20mg/kg body weight of MPTP daily for five consecutive days. The mice were subjected to motor behavior paradigms and then euthanized to obtain the cerebellum for biochemical analysis of proinflammatory markers (nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) and tumor necrotic factor alpha (TNFα), as well as oxidative stress markers (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde). Some cerebellar tissues were also processed for immunohistochemical techniques to stain for nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and antiapoptotic protein (Bcl2). Photomicrographs of cerebellar slides were obtained for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Quantitative data were subjected to an unpaired Student’s t-test tool of 7.0 version of Graph Pad prism at a significant level of p<0.05.

Results: The result from this study indicated that the MPTP group had significantly(p<0.05) higher cerebellar proinflammatory markers (NF-κB and TNFα) and lower expression of antioxidant markers Nrf2 and GPx) compared to the control group.

Conclusion: The study concluded that MPTP administration induced cerebellar inflammation and oxidative stress in adult male Balb/c mice.

References: 1. Li T, Le W, Jankovic J. Linking the cerebellum to Parkinson disease: an update. Nat Rev Neurol. 2023 Nov;19(11):645–54.
2. Shen B, Pan Y, Jiang X, Wu Z, Zhu J, Dong J, et al. Altered putamen and cerebellum connectivity among different subtypes of Parkinson’s disease. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2020 Feb;26(2):207–14.
3. Wakim AA, Sioda NA, Zhou JJ, Lambert M, Evidente VGH, Ponce FA. Direct targeting of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus in deep brain stimulation for essential tremor: a prospective study with comparison to a historical cohort. Journal of Neurosurgery. 2022 Mar 1;136(3):662–71.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/impact-of-sub-acute-mptp-exposure-on-the-cerebellum-in-adult-male-balb-c-mice/