Aromatic (ar)-turmerone is a major component of turmeric oil and naturally exists as an (S)-enantiomer Recent reports revealed that it has antitumor activity and anti-inflammatory activities. We have recently succeeded to synthesize derivatives of ar-turmerone in a short step. In the present study, we investigated the effects of these derivatives on microglial activation and survival of midbrain dopamine neurons. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated elevation of inflammatory markers in microglial BV2 cells was significantly inhibited by the treatment of all derivatives. Especially, (R)-ar-turmerone and ar-atlantone showed more potent anti-inflammatory effect than (S)-ar-turmerone. Next, we examined the effect of (S)-, (R)-ar-turmerone and ar-atlantone on the degeneration of dopamine neurons, which was triggered by the microglial activation, in midbrain slice cultures. All three chemicals significantly reversed the loss of dopamine neurons triggered by the treatment of interferon-γ(IFN-γ) and LPS. However, they did not inhibit the inflammatory activation of microglia. These results indicate that derivatives of ar-turmerone protect dopamine neurons without inhibiting microglial activation in midbrain slice cultures.