Neuroprotective Changes Induced In Substantia Nigra Of Rats By The Combination Of Passiflora, Melatonin & Vitamin B6

Background: Parkinson's is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons. The standard drug Levodopa has been used in the treatment of Parkinson’s for decades, but long-term use leads to motor complications like dyskinesia and on-off phenomena. This study aimed to observe the neuroprotective effect of supplements (melatonin, vitamin B6, and Passiflora) in a rat model. Method: This was an experimental animal study conducted on healthy male albino Wistar rats weighing between 150-200 g. The study was conducted at Baqai Medical University and Dow University of Health Sciences after getting approval from IREB of BMU (BMU-IREB/03-2023) for a period of 6 months. The Model was formed by MPTP (1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine). 40 rats were selected by using the power analysis technique & were divided into groups: A: Control, 0.9% saline, B: MPTP, C: MPTP + Levodopa, D: MPTP + Levodopa + Supplement (melatonin 10mg/kg, Passiflora 25mg/kg & vitamin B6 100mg/kg). Weight of animals & behaviour tests (Pole and Plus Maze) were recorded for 5 weeks. Brains were isolated to observe histological changes & Alpha synuclein expression. Data was analysed by using SPSS version 27. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied followed by an independent sample t-test. Results: Behavioural analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between MPTP and treatment groups (p<0.001). Bradykinesia was reduced after the intake of the supplement in the pole test. The time spent in the open arm of the plus maze was significantly improved by approximately 80.28% (p<0.001) with supplement + L-Dopa. MPTP caused 50% reduction in the neuronal count, observed on H&E staining, while the supplement ameliorated this decrease. Degenerative changes like pyknosis, shrinkage, glial infiltration, and vacuolation were improved in the levodopa + supplement group(p<0.001). IHC revealed, supplement reduced the accumulation of alpha synuclein aggregates, which were around 25-30-fold in the MPTP group. Conclusion: The supplement has a neuroprotective role as observed by betterment in behavioural performance, improvement in neuronal degeneration, and reduction in the expression of alpha synuclein.