PLOS ONE retracts Syzygium antiparkinsonian study over data integrity concerns

PLOS ONE has retracted a rodent study that reported antiparkinsonian activity for Syzygium heyneanum after editors identified image similarities, unusually repetitive values and broader concerns about the integrity and reliability of the underlying individual-level data. The retraction concerns a study of biochemical properties and biological potential in a paraquat-induced rodent model, meaning the paper did not establish a clinical benefit in people with Parkinson’s disease.

The editors said concerns arose after publication about results shown in Figures 2 and 3 and Tables 4 through 6. Several panels representing different experimental conditions appeared similar, including liver and lung images for control groups and heart and lung images for treated groups. In addition, the Figure 3 control-group panel resembled a control-group panel in unpublished material submitted for another article, which had already been retracted.

The authors responded that errors had occurred while preparing the figures for the earlier manuscript and that those mistakes were corrected in later revisions. For similarities between the retracted article and an earlier published study, the corresponding author said the earlier material had been used without the data owner’s authorization. These explanations did not resolve the journal’s concerns.

The corresponding author subsequently supplied the individual-level data behind the study’s graphs and tables. During their assessment, PLOS ONE editors identified additional issues affecting the integrity and reliability of those data. In light of that assessment, the editors retracted the article rather than issuing a correction or maintaining the findings in the scientific record.

The notice did not present a revised analysis or a replicated experiment. It also did not report new experiments in animals or humans. Instead, it documented the image, tabular and underlying-data concerns that led the journal to withdraw the research. The study’s original conclusions about S. heyneanum in the paraquat-induced rodent model therefore require cautious treatment, and the notice provides no basis for treating the plant as a proven antiparkinsonian therapy.

The authorship section recorded that one author did not agree with the retraction, one author responded without clarifying whether they agreed or disagreed, and the remaining listed authors either did not respond directly or could not be reached. The retraction was attributed to the PLOS ONE Editors, with the notice published on October 20, 2026, and associated with the journal article’s assigned digital object identifier.

Subject of Research: A PLOS ONE retraction of a rodent study reporting antiparkinsonian activity for Syzygium heyneanum

Article Title: Retraction: Biochemical properties and biological potential of Syzygium heyneanum with antiparkinson’s activity in paraquat induced rodent model

Article References: The PLOS One Editors (2026). Retraction: Biochemical properties and biological potential of Syzygium heyneanum with antiparkinson’s activity in paraquat induced rodent model. PLOS One, 21(10), e0360894. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360894

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360894

Keywords: Syzygium heyneanum, PLOS ONE, article retraction, data integrity, rodent model, paraquat, Parkinson’s disease, research misconduct, image duplication, Retraction, Biochemical, properties