Neuroprotective Potential of Bacopa Monniera Linn and Its Active Constituent Bacoside a on 6 Hydroxy Dopamine Induced Parkinsonism in Rats

Parkinson's disease (PD) was first formally described in modern times in afamous monograph entitled "An essay on the shaking palsy" published in 1817 by anEnglish physician called James Parkinson (Parkinson, 1817). In this report, thedisease was initially defined as shaking palsy (paralysis agitans) and the syndromesobserved were described as "involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscularpower, in parts not in action and even when supported; with a propensity to bend thetrunk forward, and to pass from a walking to a running pace: the senses and intellectsbeing uninjured".PD, also called idiopathic PD or primary parkinsonism, is the most commonmovement disorder besides essential tremor and the second most common age-relatedneurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease (AD) (Fahn and Przedborski, 2000;Tanner and Aston, 2000;Mayeux, 2003;Fahn and Sulzer, 2004). Moreover, PD is themain cause of chronic progressive Parkinsonism accounting for 80% of cases. Parkinsonism, also known as Parkinson's syndrome, atypical Parkinson's or secondary Parkinson's, is a term which refers to the neurological syndrome characterized by threecardinal motor symptoms: bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor.

Prevalence and incidence of PD

More than 4.5 million people worldwide were affected by PD in 2007. Due toincreasing life expectancy of the general population and multiplication of effectivetherapies, the number of individuals over 50 years of age with PD was expected todouble to around 9 million patients in the world's 10 most populous nations between2007 and the year 2030 (Dorsey et al., 2007). In regards to disease epidemiology, the mean age onset of sporadic PD (alsoknown as idiopathic PD) is 55 years, but is now thought to be in the early-to-mid 60s(Inzelberget al., 2002). Early