Neuroprotective benefits of grape seed and skin extract in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, and it involves oxidative stress. Our goal was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of Vitis vinifera red grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) in a model of Parkinson’s disease. GSSE is very rich in phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, catechins and stilbenes, which are present in the pulp, seeds, and leaves of the fruit. GSSE is known for its antioxidant properties and has shown beneficial effects against oxidative injury in different organs, such as the kidneys, liver, heart and brain. In this study, we revealed the neuroprotective effect of GSSE on midbrain dopaminergic neurons both in vitro and in vivo. We used the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), which induces oxidative damage and mimics the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons observed in Parkinson’s disease. We found that GSSE was effective in protecting dopamine neurons from 6-OHDA toxicity by reducing apoptosis, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation. Furthermore, we found that GSSE treatment efficiently protected against neuronal loss and improved motor function in an in vivo 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Altogether, our results show that GSSE acts at multiple levels to protect dopamine neurons from degeneration in a model of PD.

KEYWORDS:

• Parkinson’s disease
• GSSE
• dopamine neurons
• neuroprotection
• polyphenols

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Sarah Ben Youssef is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Biological Sciences at University Tunis El Manar, in Tunis, Tunisia.

Guillaume Brisson was a research associate at the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Québec, Canada. He is now an Assistant professor at the Department of Food Science at Université Laval.

Hélène Doucet-Beaupré is a postdoctoral fellow at the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Québec, Canada.

Anne-Marie Castonguay is a M.Sc. candidate at the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Québec, Canada.

Charles Gora is a Ph.D. candidate at the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Québec, Canada.

Mohamed Amri is a Professor (full) at the Department of Biological Sciences at University Tunis El Manar, in Tunis, Tunisia.

Martin Lévesque is an Associate professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Université Laval and at the CERVO Brain Research Centre in Québec, Canada.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC: 418391-2012) and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant 311120 to M.L. M.L. receives salary support from Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé, Chercheur-boursier Juniors 2- in partnership with Parkinson Québec (34974).