[Study of an MPTP-induced parkinsonian animal model in the rhesus monkey and the mechanism of the action of MPTP].

In this paper are presented the data of the use of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to create a parkinsonian animal model in rhesus monkey. We studied the mechanism of the action of MPTP through testing monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor, deprenyl and L-prolyl-L-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) against the neurotoxicity of MPTP. The results indicated that: (1) the use of MPTP can establish a useful parkinsonian animal model in rhesus monkey; (2) pretreatment with deprenyl can effectively prevent the neurotoxicity of MPTP; and (3) whether PLG can prevent or alleviate the neurotoxicity of MPTP requires further study.