Pharmacological Modulation of TRPM2 Channels via PARP Pathway Leads to Neuroprotection in MPTP-induced Parkinson’s Disease in Sprague Dawley Rats

Transient receptor potential melastatin-2 (TRPM2) channels are cation channels activated by oxidative stress and ADP-ribose (ADPR). Role of TRPM2 channels has been postulated in several neurological disorders, but, it has not been explored in animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Thus, the role of TRPM2 and its associated poly (ADPR) polymerase (PARP) signaling pathways were investigated in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD rat model using TRPM2 inhibitor, 2-aminoethyl diphenyl borinate (2-APB), and PARP inhibitor, N-(6-Oxo-5,6-dihydrophenanthridin-2-yl)-(N,N-dimethylamino) acetamide hydrochloride (PJ-34). PD was induced by using a bilateral intranigral administration of MPTP in rats, and different parameters were evaluated. An increase in oxidative stress was observed, leading to locomotor and cognitive deficits in the PD rats. PD rats also showed an increased TRPM2 expression in the striatum and mid-brain accompanied by reduced expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in comparison to sham animals. Intraperitoneal administration of 2-APB and PJ-34 led to an improvement in the locomotor and cognitive deficits in comparison to MPTP-induced PD rats. These improvements were accompanied by a reduction in the levels of oxidative stress and an increase in TH levels in the striatum and mid-brain. In addition, these pharmacological interventions also led to a decrease in the expression of TRPM2 in PD in the striatum and mid-brain. Our results provide a rationale for the development of potent pharmacological agents targeting the TRPM2-PARP pathway to provide therapeutic benefits for the treatment of neurological diseases like PD.