Paraquat-induced rodent models of Parkinson’s disease: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

The relationship between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been extensively studied. Numerous paraquat-induced rodent models of PD have been developed, however, substantial variability in dosing regimens and study design complicates interpretation. Improving the translational relevance of these models is critical. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the face validity of paraquat-induced rodent models of PD. Studies which quantitatively evaluated Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc) neuronal loss and behavioral motor deficits were included. An electronic search in three databases was performed. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of 54 studies (84 experimental groups). Random-effects meta-analyses of continuous data showed a significant effect of SNpc neuronal loss (SMD=3.07, 95% CI 2.48, 3.65; I 2 =78.1%; p