Parkinson's disease is a chronic movement disorder seen frequently in adults and caused by the destruction of dopaminergic neurons. Its symptoms are tremor, rigidity, balance disorder, and bradykinesia. The current medications of the disease cure the symptoms; none of them stops neurodegeneration. Various modellings are performed on experimental animals for Parkinson's disease research. The main substance used in these modellings is 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a synthetic toxin. MPTP is a neurotoxic agent that appeared unintentionally during the production of illicit drugs. MPTP converts to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-4-propionoxypiperidine in the body. This substance produces most of the biochemical, pathological, and clinical features similar to Parkinson's disease in an acute and irreversible way and this experimental Parkinson model leads many researchers. In this review, we discussed MPTP's discovery, metabolism, neurodegeneration mechanisms, and use in treatment in light of the literature.
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