Background and Aim: There are convincing evidences that oxidative stress has an important role in both the initiation and progression of Parkinson’s disease. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is shown to have antioxidant properties via fortifying glutathione which is one of the main endogenous Antioxidant systems. Therefore our study was aimed to evaluate the effect of NAC in management of Parkinson’s disease. Methods: male Wistar rats (10-12months) received rotenone (2.5mg/kg/48h ip) to induce Parkinson’s disease model. Pretreatment with NAC (25and 50mg/kg/48h ip) was administered one hour before the rotenone injection. Three behavioral tests (rotarod, rearing and bar tests) were performed for motor function assessment. Western blot analysis was also done for parkin and Drp1proteins quantification in dopaminergic areas of rat’s brain including substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST). Results: Our results indicated that NAC significantly ameliorated the rotenone-induced motor dysfunction. Furthermore NAC was able to prevent the rotenone-induced changes in parkin and Drp1 levels in the both studied areas. Conclusion: In conclusion we found that NAC delayed the Parkinson's disease induction by rotenone and this effect might be related to its proved antioxidant effect.
