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Abstract
Curcuma longa (Family, Zingiberaceae) is rich in polyphenolic compounds; curcuminoids which is used in traditional medicine as antioxidant, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and gastroprotective agents. The aim of the present work is to optimize curcuminoids extraction from C. longa rhizomes using different solvents and evaluate its efficacy in rotenone-induced Parkinson’s disease in rats. The biological evaluation was done referring to Sinemet (levodopa) as dopaminergic drug and the newly ZM241385 as non-dopaminergic agent. The highest extraction yield was found in methanol (74 % w/w of defatted powder) and acetone (65 % w/w of defatted powder) extracts, while the highest curcuminoids content (566 mg/g extract) was found in the ethyl acetate extract. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed three major compounds; curcumin (68 %), demethoxycurcumin (19 %) and bisdemethoxycurcumin (11 %) of total curcuminoids. Rotenone induction caused disturbance in neurotransmitters, antioxidants, inflammatory and apoptotic markers, DNA fragmentation, adenosine A2A receptor gene expression, energy production markers and brain histological features. Treatments with ethyl acetate extract, Sinemet drug and ZM241385 enhanced the selected parameters by variable degrees. In conclusion, C. longa exerted anti-parkinsonism efficacy as compared to the classical Sinemet drug, while ZM241385 showed more therapeutic effect. As the plant extract improved DA and adenosine A2A gene expression levels, this shed the light on its role as a therapeutic dopaminergic agent and therefore its mode of action must be studied in details.