Blockage of the Action of the Proneurotoxin MPTP and Toxin MPP+ by Extracts of Homogenates of Alphitobius diaperinus Litter Beetles in an Experimental Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Adult male mice C57BL/6 (n = 105) were divided into five groups. The first group served as a control. In the 2nd–5th groups, the animals were treated subcutaneously with 40 mg/kg of proneurotoxin MPTP (methylphenyltetrahydropyridine), which forms a state similar to the initial stage of Parkinson’s disease over a 2-week period. Mice of groups 3–5 daily received an additive along with their food: one of three extracts of the biomass of the litter beetle Alphitobius diaperinus. In 2 weeks, all animals were tested for motor disorders in the vertical bar test; they were then euthanized and histochemical analysis of the dopamine-containing brain regions was performed. In addition, the same extracts were tested for counteraction to MPP⁺ toxin in cultured neuroblastoma cells. It was found that the primary aqueous and, especially, secondary water–methanol extracts had a powerful protective effect against the neurotoxic effect judging by the results of both the behavioral test and morphological control. Arginine was found at substantial concentrations in both effective extracts. An in vitro study confirmed the protective effect of the primary aqueous extract.