Mehrdad Naghizadeh - Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Mohammad Ali Mirshekar - Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Farzaneh Montazerifar - Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Saiedeh Saadat - Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Ali Shamsi Koushki - Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Saber Jafari Maskouni - Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Maryam Afsharfar - Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Saiedeh Arabmoazzen - Deputy of Research and Technology, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

Objective: Quercetin is one of the most popular flavonoid with protective effects against neural damages in Parkinson's disease (PD). We assessed the effect of quercetin administration on memory and motor function, hippocampal ‎ oxidative stress and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level in a ۶-OHDA-induced Parkinson's rat model.Material and Methods: The animals were divided into the following five groups (n=۸): control, sham-surgery (sham), lesion (PD), and lesion animals treated with quercetin at doses of ۱۰ (Q۱۰) and ۲۵ (Q۲۵) mg/kg. For induction of a model of PD, ۶-OHDA was injected into the striatum of rats. The effects of quercetin were investigated on spatial memory, hippocampal BDNF and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Spatial memory was assessed by Morris water maze test, and the neuronal firing frequency in hippocampal dentate gyrus (HDG) was evaluated by single-unit recordings.Results: Mean path length and latency time, rotational behavior and hippocampal MDA concentration were significantly increased, while time spent in the goal quadrant, swimming speed, spike rate, and hippocampal levels of TAC and BDNF were significantly decreased in the PD group compared to the sham group (p<۰.۰۱ to p<۰.۰۰۱). Quercetin treatment significantly enhanced time spent in goal quadrant (p<۰.۰۵), swimming speed (p<۰.۰۰۱) and spike rate (p<۰.۰۱), improved hippocampal TAC (p<۰.۰۵ to p<۰.۰۰۱) and BDNF (p<۰.۰۱ to p<۰.۰۰۱) level, and decreased mean path length (p<۰.۰۰۱), latency time (p<۰.۰۵ to p<۰.۰۰۱), rotational behavior and hippocampal MDA concentration (p<۰.۰۵).Conclusion: The cognitive-enhancing effect of quercetin might be due to its antioxidant effects in the hippocampus.

Quercetin, Parkinson’s disease, Spatial Memory, Oxidative stress