Abstract: Objective To study the oxidative stress and apoptosis relative protein expression in rat striatum during the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Methods 6-OHDA was stereotacticly injected into the right striatum of the rats at two sites to produce PD models. Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), contents of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the injured and normal striatum were measured using assay kits; and levels of Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blotting in injured striatum. Results In 10 successful PD rats, compared with either the sham group or the normal group, activities of SOD and GSH-Px and contents of GSH in the right striatum significantly decreased while contents of MDA increased obviously (P<0.05); And levels of Bax significantly increased while expression of Bcl-2 obviously decreased. Conclusion Oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of PD. Furthermore, Bax and Bcl-2 were involved in the regulation of apoptosis under oxidative stress induced by 6-OHDA.

Key words: Parkinson's disease (PD), 6-hydroxydopamine, corpus striatum, oxidative stress, apoptosis, Bax, Bcl-2