LAUSR

Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder described by severe motor symptoms involving postural imbalance, uncontrolled shake, slowness of motion and rigidity. Searching for a natural remedy for PD to overcome the common adverse effects of conventional treatments, the neuroprotective effects of three dose levels (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) of Pulicaria undulata essential oil (PUEO) in rotenone-induced model in male Wistar rats were investigated. PUEO was analyzed by GC and GC/MS resulting in the identification of twenty-one compounds. Carvotanacetone was the major component (80.14%). The middle and high doses of PUEO attenuated rotenone-induced behavioral deficits besides, hindering the decrease in striatal dopamine and ATP levels, with partial retardation in rotenone-induced body weight loss. Biochemical assessments illustrated that PUEO mitigated rotenone-induced increment in striatal interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The reduction in malondialdehyde and increase in glutathione striatal contents depicted its antioxidant potential. Molecular docking study of carvotanacetone might justify the observed normalization of the elevated iNOS level induced after exposure to rotenone. This is the first study indicating the ability of PUEO to protect rats against rotenone-induced PD via anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities with the ability to reduce α-synuclein gene expression.