In Silico and In Vivo Studies on Quercetin as Potential Anti-Parkinson Agent

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among older individuals. Several researchers have suggested that iron chelators which cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) might have clinical efficacy in treating PD. Therefore, efforts are made not only in order to improve the effect of L-dopa but also to introduce drugs which provide anti-parkinsonian and neuroprotective effects. In this study, quercetin, a flavonoid, exhibited noticeable neuroprotective effects via iron induced-oxidative stress-dependent apoptotic pathways. Our results suggested that quercetin significantly decreased the catalepsy and exhibited neuroprotective effects in rotenone-induced Parkinson. A model of rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats produced the decrease in glutathione, SOD, catalase, and serum iron concentration and the increase in H2O2 and lipid peroxidation activity. Quercetin efficiently halted the deleterious toxic effects of L-dopa, revealing normalization of catalepsy and rotarod score, in addition to amelioration of neurochemical parameters, indicating benefit of both symptomatic and neuroprotective therapies. In silico molecular docking studies have also shown that quercetin could be an ideal potential drug target for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase and human catechol-O-methyltransferase. In conclusion, quercetin possesses strong iron-chelating abilities and could be recommended as a disease-modifying therapy when administered in combination with L-dopa, early on in the course of Parkinson’s disease.