Luteolin protects dopaminergic neurons from inflammation-induced injury through inhibition of microglial activation.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Accumulating evidence has suggested that inflammation in the brain participates in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Luteolin, a polyphenolic compound found in foods of plant origin, belongs to the flavone subclass of flavonoids, and has been shown to possess antimutagenic, antitumorigenic, antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. In this study, we found that luteolin concentration-dependently attenuated the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced decrease in [(3)H]dopamine uptake and loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons in primary mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures. Moreover, luteolin also significantly inhibited LPS-induced activation of microglia and excessive production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nitric oxide and superoxide in mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures and microglia-enriched cultures. Our results demonstrate that luteolin may protect dopaminergic neurons from LPS-induced injury and its efficiency in inhibiting microglia activation may underlie the mechanism.