Neuropathology and behavioral impairments in Wistar rats with a 6-OHDA lesion in the substantia nigra compacta and exposure to a static magnetic field.

Studies have sought to assess various potential neuroprotective therapeutics in Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of static magnetic field stimulation 14 days after a 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) substantia nigra compacta (SNc) lesion on motor behavior, as assessed by the rotarod (RR) test and brain tissue morphology. Forty male Wistar rats were used and were divided into five groups: control group, sham group (SG), lesion group (LG), lesion north pole group (LNPG) and lesion south pole group (LSPG). In groups with magnetic stimulation, a 3200-gauss magnet was fixed to the skull. After the experiments, the animals were anesthetized for brain perfusion. Coronal sections of the SNc were stained with Nissl. The RR test showed a decrease in the time spent on the apparatus in the LG compared with all groups. The LNPG and LSPG had significant increases in the time spent when compared to the LG. A morphometric analysis revealed a significant reduction in the number of neurons in the LG, LNPG and LSPG in relation to the SG. There were a higher number of neurons in the LNPG and LSPG than the LG, and a higher number of neurons in the LSPG than the LNPG. We observed that the LG, LNPG and LSPG showed a higher number of glial cells than the SG, and the LNPG and LSPG showed a lower number of glial cells than the LG. Our results demonstrate a potential therapeutic use of static magnetic fields for the preservation of motor behavior and brain morphology in the SNc after 14 days with 6-OHDA lesion.