Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by midbrain dopaminergic neuronal loss and subsequent physical impairments. Levodopa manages symptoms best, while deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective for advanced PD patients; however, side effects occur with the diminishing therapeutic window. Recently, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PS128 (PS128) was found to elevate dopamine levels in rodent brains, suggesting its potential to prevent PD. Here, the therapeutic efficacy of PS128 was examined in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat PD model. Suppression of the power spectral density of beta oscillations (beta PSD) in the primary motor cortex (M1) was recorded as the indicator of disease progression. We found that 6 weeks of daily PS128 supplementation suppressed M1 beta PSD as well as did levodopa and DBS. Long-term normalization of M1 beta PSD was found in PS128-fed rats, whereas levodopa and DBS showed only temporal effects. PS128 + levodopa and PS128 + DBS exhibited better therapeutic effects than did levodopa + DBS or either alone. Significantly improved motor functions in PS128-fed rats were correlated with normalization of M1 beta PSD. Brain tissue analyses further demonstrated the role of PS128 in dopaminergic neuroprotection and the enhanced availability of neurotransmitters. These findings suggest that psychobiotic PS128 might be used alongside conventional therapies to treat PD patients.

帕金森病 (PD) 是一种神经退行性疾病，其特征是中脑多巴胺能神经元丢失和随后的身体损伤。左旋多巴最能控制症状，而深部脑刺激 (DBS) 对晚期 PD 患者有效；然而，副作用会随着治疗窗的缩小而发生。最近，植物乳杆菌PS128 (PS128) 被发现可提高啮齿动物大脑中的多巴胺水平，表明其具有预防 PD 的潜力。在这里，在 6-羟基多巴胺大鼠 PD 模型中检查了 PS128 的治疗效果。抑制初级运动皮层 (M1) 中 β 振荡 (β PSD) 的功率谱密度被记录为疾病进展的指标。我们发现每天补充 PS128 6 周可抑制 M1 beta PSD，左旋多巴和 DBS 也是如此。在喂食 PS128 的大鼠中发现 M1 beta PSD 的长期正常化，而左旋多巴和 DBS 仅显示时间效应。PS128 + 左旋多巴和 PS128 + DBS 表现出比左旋多巴 + DBS 或单独使用更好的治疗效果。喂食 PS128 的大鼠运动功能的显着改善与 M1 beta PSD 的正常化相关。脑组织分析进一步证明了 PS128 在多巴胺能神经保护和增强神经递质可用性方面的作用。这些发现表明，精神活性 PS128 可与常规疗法一起用于治疗 PD 患者。