Calycosin attenuates MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease by suppressing the activation of TLR/NF-κB and MAPK pathways

Parkinson is the second common neurodegenerative disease. The characteristics of Parkinson's disease (PD) are the dopamin neurons loss caused by neuroinflammation responses. C alycosin, an isoflavone phytoestrogen isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, has multiple pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, and neuroprotective effects. However, it is unknown whether calycosin can mitigate PD symptoms. This study aims to explore whether calycosin can alleviate PD symptoms and the underlying mechanisms. PD was induced in mice by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) injection, and calycosin was given intracerebroventricularly to these mice. A cell model of nerve inflammation was established by BV2 microglia cells injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The motor states were evaluated by stepping, whisker, and cylinder experiments. The states of dopaminergic neurons and microglia were detected by immunostainning of tyrosine hydroxylase and cluster of differentiation molecule 11b (CD11b). The expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected by qPCR. Toll-like receptor (TLR)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways were investigated by western blot. We found that calycosin treatment mitigated the behavioral dysfunctions and inflammatory responses in MPTP-induced PD mice. The TLR/NF-kappa B and MAPK pathways in MPTP-induced PD mice were inhibited by calycosin treatment, which was coincident with experiments in LPS-induced BV2 cells. Above all, calycosin mitigates PD symptoms through TLR/NF-kappa B and MAPK pathways in mice and cell lines.