Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic disease with loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) causing motor impairment.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the intrastriatal release of dopamine (DA) from SiO2 reservoirs on postural asymmetry in hemiparkinsonian animals.
This study compares groups of rats without an implant (L), with empty SiO2 implant (SiO2), and with SiO2 implant plus DA (SiO2-DA) to assess motor and clinical relevance during vertical exploration using the Steps Adjustment and the Cylinder tests.
All rats showed significant deterioration of up to 80% (p < 0.0001) in the execution of the steps with the contralateral forelimb (CF), without affectation of the ipsilateral forelimb (IF) and only the SiO2-DA group recovered 100% symmetry in the adjustment of steps between both forelimbs.
In the cylinder, only the SiO2-DA group significantly reduced (p < 0.0001) the deterioration in the use of CF during vertical exploration. No tolerance or dyskinesias were present at the time of the study.
These results showed that SiO2-DA reservoirs are safe and a promising therapeutic alternative against PD.
