Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) manifest nonmotor and motor symptoms. Autonomic cardiovascular dysregulation is a common nonmotor manifestation associated with increased morbimortality. Conventional clinical treatment alleviates motor signs but does not change disease progression and fails in handling nonmotor features. Nutrition is a key modifiable determinant of chronic disease. This study aimed to assess the effects of propolis on cardiological features, heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) and on nigrostriatal dopaminergic damage, detected by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity, in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD. Male Wistar rats were injected bilaterally with 6-OHDA or saline into the striatum and were treated with propolis or water for 40 days. Autonomic function was assessed by time domain parameters (standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) and square root of the mean of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals (RMSSD)) of HRV calculated from electrocardiogram recordings. Reductions in HR (p = 1.47 × 10−19), SDNN (p = 3.42 × 10−10) and RMSSD (p = 8.2 × 10−6) detected in parkinsonian rats were reverted by propolis. Propolis attenuated neuronal loss in the substantia nigra (p = 5.66 × 10−15) and reduced striatal fiber degeneration (p = 7.4 × 10−5) in 6-OHDA-injured rats, which also showed significant weight gain (p = 1.07 × 10−5) in comparison to 6-OHDA-lesioned counterparts. Propolis confers cardioprotection and neuroprotection in the 6-OHDA rat model of PD.

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It has been more than 200 years since James Parkinson made the first descriptions of the disease that bears his name. Since then, knowledge about Parkinson’s disease has been improved, and its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatments are well described in the scientific and medical literature. However, there is no way to prevent the disease from its progressive nature yet and only its symptoms can be minimized. It is known that the process of neurodegeneration begins before the onset of motor signs and symptoms of the disease, when diagnosis is usually made. Therefore, recognizing manifested non-motor symptoms can make an early diagnosis possible and lead to a better understanding of the disease. Autonomic dysfunctions are important non-motor manifestations of Parkinson’s disease and affect the majority of patients. Importantly, heart failure is the third leading cause of death in people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Several evidences have shown the correlation between Parkinson’s disease and the preexistence of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, cardiovascular monitoring and identification of its dysfunctions can have a prodromal role for Parkinson’s disease. This review presents studies of the literature that can lead to a better understanding of Parkinson’s disease with special attention to its relation to heart and cardiovascular parameters.