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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and diminished dopamine content in the striatum. Recent reports show that 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (DHF), a TrkB agonist, attenuates the α-synuclein deposition and ameliorates motor deficits. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we investigated whether autophagy is involved in the clearance of α-synuclein and the signaling pathway through which DHF exerts therapeutic effects. We found that the administration of DHF (5 mg/kg/day, i.p.) prevented the loss of dopaminergic neurons and improved motor functions in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD, whereas these protective effects of DHF were completely blocked by autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ). Further in vitro studies showed that autophagy was inhibited in N2A cells treated with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), as reflected by a significant decrease in the expressions of autophagy marker proteins (Beclin1 and LC3II) and an increase in the expression of autophagic flux marker p62. DHF restored the impaired autophagy to control level in MPP+-treated N2A cells by inhibiting the ERK-LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway. Taken together, these results demonstrate that DHF exerts therapeutic effects in MPTP/MPP+-induced neurotoxicity by inhibiting the ERK-LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway and subsequently improving impaired autophagy.
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