Resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, protects dopaminergic neurons in MPTP-treated mice

Phytoestrogens, and particularly resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, are currently under study for their therapeutic antioxidant properties. Administration of the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to C57BL/6 mice targets nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, leading to cell death and striatal dopamine (DA) depletion. The aim of the present study was to analyze the protective effect of a diet rich in resveratrol against MPTP-induced neuronal death. Male mice were kept on a phytoestrogen-free diet, supplemented or not with 50 or 100 mg/kg/day of resveratrol for 1 or 2 weeks, after which MPTP was injected intraperitoneally. We observed that daily administration of resveratrol prevented MPTP-induced depletion of striatal DA, and maintained striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein levels. Our results also demonstrated that mice treated with resveratrol prior to MPTP administration showed more abundant TH-immunopositive neurons than mice given only MPTP, indicating that resveratrol protects nigral neurons from MPTP insults. Altogether, these data revealed that resveratrol can counteract the toxic effects of the neurotoxin MPTP and, as such, it may be regarded as a powerful molecule for complementary neuroprotective therapy.