ORIGINAL PAPER The effects of pergolide on memory and oxidative stress in a rat model of Parkinson’ s disease Alin Ciobica & Zenovia Olteanu & Manuela Padurariu & Lucian Hritcu Received: 29 July 2010 / Accepted: 31 August 2011 / Published online: 18 October 2011 # University of Navarra 2011 Abstract One of the most widely used animal models of Parkinson’ s disease (PD) involves injecting 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) directly into the sub- stantia nigra (SN). Some recent reports speculated that dopaminergic drugs may exert brain antioxidant activity, which could explain some of their protective actions. In this way, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of low-dose pergolide on memory deficits and brain oxidative stress in a 6- OHDA-induced rat model of PD. Right-unilateral lesions of the SN were produced with 6-OHDA. Two weeks after neurosurgery, pergolide (0.3 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitoneally in the 6-OHDA + pergolide and sham-operated + pergolide groups, while sham-operated and 6-OHDA alone groups received saline. Radial-8-arm maze and Y-maze were used for memory assessment. We also determined some enzymatic antioxidant defenses like superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase and a lipid peroxidation marker [malondialdehyde (MDA)], from the temporal lobe. A reduced number of working/ reference memory errors was observed in 6-OHDA + pergolide group, compared to sham-operated rats. Additionally, post hoc analysis showed significant differences between 6-OHDA and 6-OHDA + pergo- lide groups in both Y-maze and radial-arm-maze tasks. We also noted a significant decrease of MDA level in the 6-OHDA + pergolide group, compared to sham-operated rats. Significant correlations were also found between behavioral parameters and MDA levels. Our data suggest that pergolide facilitates spatial memory and improves brain oxidative balance, after a 6-OHDA-induced model of PD. This could be useful for further investigations and clinical applica- tions of pergolide. Keywords Pergolide . 6-Hydroxydopamine . Parkinson’ s disease . Animal model . Oxidative stress Introduction Parkinson’ s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which is mainly characterized by a massive and progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons that originate in the substantia nigra (SN) and terminate at the corpus striatum. One of the most widely used animal models of PD involves injecting of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) directly into the SN, in order to induce selective neurodegeneration of dopamine nerve terminals [3, 17, 30]. J Physiol Biochem (2012) 68:59–69 DOI 10.1007/s13105-011-0119-x A. Ciobica (*) : Z. Olteanu : L. Hritcu Department of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Bd. Carol I, nr. 11, Iasi 700506, Romania e-mail: alin.ciobica@uaic.ro M. Padurariu “Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, 700115, Iasi, Romania