Protective effect of hydroxysafflor yellow A on dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine, activating anti-apoptotic and anti-neuroinflammatory pathways

CONTEXT: Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in cerebral infarction. However, its underlying roles in apoptosis and inflammation in Parkinson's disease (PD) are unknown. OBJECTIVE: The present study investigates the effects and underlying mechanisms of HSYA on dopaminergic (DA) neurodegeneration, inflammation, and apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: after being treated with HSYA for 1 h, SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to 6-OHDA for 24 h before analysis. Expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in substantia nigra (SN) and corpus striatum (STR) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot. In addition, apoptosis-related and inflammatory proteins were examined by western blot. RESULTS: assays showed that HSYA reduced the levels of p-p38 and p-JNK and increased that of p-ERK in 6-OHDA-leisoned SH-SY5Y cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that HSYA protects against 6-OHDA induced DA neurodegeneration partly by regulating the MAPK inflammatory signalling pathway and apoptosis which highlight its therapeutic potential in the treatment of PD.