Lentivirus-mediated Persephin over-expression in Parkinson's disease rats.

Persephin, together with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and neurturin, has a neurotrophic effect and promotes the survival of motor neurons cultured in vitro. In this study, dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of rats were transfected with the Persephin gene. One week later 6-hydroxydopamine was injected into the anterior medial bundle to establish a Parkinson's disease model in the rats.