MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson’s disease: A promising direction of therapeutic strategies

Amongst the popular animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) commonly used in researches are those that employ neurotoxins, especially the 1-methyl- 4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). MPTP neurotoxin exerts its neurotoxicity by causing a barrage of insults such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial apoptosis, inflammation, excitotoxicity, and formation of inclusion bodies acting singly and in concert. All of this ultimately leads to dopaminergic neuron damage in substantia nigra pars compacta and striatum. The selective neurotoxicity induced by MPTP in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron of the mouse brain brought a new dawn in our perspectives about PD. For decades now MPTP-induced mouse model of PD has become the gold standard in PD research despite its shortcoming in fully recapitulating PD symptomatology. It has the advantage of easy practicability, affordability, less ethical consideration, and more clinical correlation over the other toxin models of PD. The model has rejuvenated researches in PD and has also opened new frontiers in the quest for more novel therapeutic and adjuvant agents for PD. Hence, this review summarizes the MPTP’s role in producing Parkinson-like symptoms in mice, the MPTP-induced mouse model’s experimental role, and the recent development in PD therapeutics using this model to enrich our existing knowledge on this neurotoxin. Furthermore, our review promotes the use of this model by researchers for developing more promising therapeutic strategies.