A water extract of Mucuna pruriens provides long-term amelioration of parkinsonism with reduced risk for dyskinesias

Dopaminergic anti-parkinsonian medications, such as levodopa (ID) cause drug-induced dyskinesias (DID) in majority of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) Mucuna pruriens, a legume extensively used in Ayurveda to neat PD, is reputed to provide anti-parkinsonian benefits without inducing DID We compared the behavioral effects of chronic parenteral administration of a water extract of M pruriens seed powder (MPE) alone without any additives, MPE combined with the peripheral dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) benserazide (MPE + BZ), LD - BZ and LD alone without BZ in the hemiparkinsonian rat model of PD A battery of behavioral tests assessed by blinded investigators served as outcome measures in these randomized trials In experiment 1, animals that received LD + BZ or MPE BZ at high (6 mg/kg) and medium (4 mg/kg) equivalent doses demonstrated significant alleviation of parkinsonism, but, developed severe dose-dependent DID LD + BZ at low doses (2 mg/kg) did not provide significant alleviation of parkinsonism In contrast, MPE + BZ at an equivalent low close significantly ameliorated parkinsonism In experiment 2, MPE without any additives (12 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg LD equivalent dose) alleviated parkinsonism with significantly less DID compared to LD + BZ or M PE + BZ In experiment 3, MPE without additives administered chronically provided long-term anti-parkinsonian benefits without causing DID In experiment 4, MPE alone provided significantly more behavioral benefit when compared to the equivalent dose of synthetic LD alone without BZ In experiment 5, MPE alone reduced the severity of DID in animals initially primed with ID + BZ These findings suggest that M. pruriens contains water-soluble ingredients that either have an intrinsic DDCI-like activity or mitigate the need for an add-on DDCI to ameliorate parkinsonism These unique long-term anti-parkinsonian effects of a parenterally administered water extract of M pruriens seed powder may provide a platform for future drug discoveries and novel treatment strategies in PD (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved