MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) can induce dopaminergic cell death in substantia nigra of primates and rodents. In order to investigate the effects of brain lateralization on dopamine loss and cytokine variations in mice which were treated with MPTP, male C57BL/6J mice were selected by paw preference test to constitute right pawed mice and left pawed mice. Mice were injected with 25 mg/kg MPTP i.p., for five consecutive days, and killed on day 1, day 3 and day 14 after MPTP injection. The control group was treated with saline. Striatal dopamine and DOPAC contents were measured by HPLC and striatal IL-1 β and IL-6 were quantified by ELISA. The Results showed that after MPTP treatment, dopamine contents decreased at day 1 (74.48%, P<0.001), day 3 (72.84%, P<0.001) and day 14 (63.87%, P<0.01); IL-6 levels decreased on day 1 (P<0.01), day 3 (P<0.01) and day 14 (P<0.01); while IL-1? 茁 levels only decreased on day 1 (P<0.05). Interestingly, behavioral lateralization had effect on dopamine turnover and cytokine variations. In basal condition, the significant difference was found between right pawed mice and left pawed mice in IL-6 level (P<0.05) and IL-1 β level (P<0.001). After MPTP treatment, left pawed mice showed a greater decrease of dopamine turnover (P<0.05) as compared with right pawed mice, at day 3 after treatment, left pawed animals showed a lower levels of IL-6 (P<0.05) and IL-1 β level (P<0.001) as compared with right pawed animals. Furthermore, the positive correlation between striatal IL-6 levels and striatal dopamine contents was found (P<0.001). These results indicated that MPTP-induced dopamine turnover was influenced by behavioral lateralization, possibly through an effect on brain cytokine levels.