Effects of nicotine on the microglia of Parkinson’s disease mice

Objective To investigate the protective effects of nicotine on dopaminergic neurons. Methods C57BL/6J mice were injected with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) (20mg/kg) to establish Parkinson’s disease (PD) model after pretreated with nicotine(0.25 mg/kg). The effects of nicotine to PD mice were observed by their behavior test and immunocytochemistry staining (ICC) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and OX-42 in the compact part of the substantia nigra (SNc). Results The results showed that nicotine markedly attenuated the dyskinesia of PD mice, increased the number of TH-positive dopaminergic neurons and simultaneously inhibited the activation of microglia in the SNc. Conclusion These findings suggest that nicotine has protective effects on dopaminergic neurons in the MPTP-induced PD mice. It may be related to inhibiting the activation of microglia.