Betaine protects cerebellum from oxidative stress following levodopa and benserazide administration in rats

• Main Author: Masoud Alirezaei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mashhad University of Medical Sciences 2015-10-01
• Series: Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences
• Subjects: Benserazide; Betaine; Cerebellum; Homocysteine; Levodopa; Parkinson’s disease
• Online Access: http://ijbms.mums.ac.ir/pdf_5457_161aba78bc61c287393e02aac4c6420d.html
• ISSN: 2008-3866; 2008-3874

Objective(s): The aim of the present study was to evaluate antioxidant and methyl donor effects of betaine in cerebellum following levodopa and benserazide administration in rats. Materials and Methods: Sprague-Dawley male rats were treated with levodopa (LD), betaine (Bet), levodopa plus betaine (LD/Bet), levodopa plus benserazide (LD/Ben), levodopa plus betaine-benserazide (LD/Bet-Ben), and the controls with vehicle for 10 consecutive days, orally. Results: Treatment of rats with LD and benserazide significantly increased total homocysteine in plasma of the LD/Ben group when compared to the other groups. Lipid peroxidation of cerebellum increased significantly in LD-treated rats when compared to the other groups. In contrast, glutathione peroxidase activity and glutathione content in cerebellum were significantly higher in the betaine-treated rats when compared to the LD and LD/Ben groups. Serum dopamine concentration increased significantly in LD-treated rats in comparison with the LD/Ben group. LD/Bet-treated rats also demonstrated significantly higher dopamine levels when compared to the LD/Ben group. Conclusion: We observed valuable effects of Bet in combination with LD and benserazide, which routinely were used for Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment, in experimentally-induced oxidative stress and hyperhomocysteinemia in rats. Therefore, it seems that Bet is a vital and promising agent regarding PD for future clinical trials in humans.