Figure 3

Effects of β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) treatment on the levels of dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the striatum. Rats were randomly grouped and then pretreated with BHBA (0.4, 0.8, or 1.6 mmol/kg/d) or vehicle 3 days before lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection and subsequently for 21 days after LPS injection (24 days in total). The levels of DA (A) and DOPAC (B) in the striatum were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the ratio of the right to left side was calculated. The results are expressed as the mean ± SD. *P <0.05 and **P <0.01 compared with the LPS-treated rats; and ^## P <0.01 compared with the sham-operated control rats.