The neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of Myracrodruon urundeuva are related to inhibitions of brain inflammatory enzymes, cytokines and HDAC

Myracrodruon urundeuva (Anacardiaceae) is a Northeast Brazil species popularly used for its anti-inflammatory properties. Considering the involvement of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases, the objectives were to evaluate the neuroprotective actions of a standardized extract from M. urundeuva (SEMU) on a Parkinson´s disease (PD) model, focusing on brain inflammatory targets. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized subjected to stereotaxic surgery and a unilateral striatal 6-OHDA lesion. The animals were divided into sham-operated (SO), untreated 6-OHDA-lesioned and SEMU (20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, p.o., 14 days) treated groups. The SO group (Control) was subjected to the same procedures, but injected with saline. Afterwards the animals were sacrificed and their brains processed for dopamine (DA) determination (striata) and immunohistochemical assays (striata and hippocampi) for COX-2, iNOS, TNF-alpha, NF-kB and HDAC. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey as the post hoc test. The results showed a reversion of striatal DA contents in the SEMU treated, relatively to the untreated 6-OHDA group. SEMU decreased the immunostaining for COX-2, iNOS, TNF-alpha and NF-kB in striata and hippocampal areas. In addition, SEMU decreased hippocampal HDAC immunostaining, shown to be affected in PD. The results point out to the potential neuroprotective actions of SEMU, and its chalcone contents may be responsible for the observed effects.