Objective       To observe the expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in rat dorsal motor nucleus of vagus (10N) induced by substantia nigra lesion by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA).       Methods        According to the random number table

a total of 16 female SD rats were randomly divided into a 6-OHDA group and a normal control group. 6-OHDA was injected into the bilateral substantia nigra (SN) of the rats in the 6-OHDA group

and the same volume of saline was injected into the same position of the rats in the normal control group. After six weeks

the rats were sacrificed and the brains were obtained. Nissl staining was used to detect the Nissl bodies in the SN and 10N

and immunofluorescent assay and Western blot  analysis were used to detect TH expression in the SN and ChAT and TH expression in the 10N.       Results       Compared with the normal control group

the number of TH immunoreactive neurons in the SN of the 6-OHDA group decreased from 54±5 to 13±2 (P0.05)

and the protein level of TH decreased from 0.62±0.13 to 0.3±0.11 (P0.05). The number of ChAT immunoreactive neurons in the 10N of the 6-OHDA group decreased from 37±3 to 26±5 (P0.05)

but the number of TH immunoreactive neurons increased from 6±3 to 13±2 (P0.05). In the dorsal medulla

the level of ChAT protein decreased from 0.07±0.02 to 0.05±0.02 (P0.05)

and the level of TH protein increased from 0.08±0.05 to 0.13±0.04 (P0.05).       Conclusion       The changes of ChAT and TH expression in 10N may be associated with gastric emptying dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease.