Systemic proteasomal inhibitor exposure enhances dopamine turnover and decreases dopamine levels but does not affect MPTP-induced striatal dopamine depletion in mice

The validation of an in vivo proteasomal inhibitor (PSI) model to translate ubiquitin-proteasomal-system dysfunction involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) into a commonly accepted animal model is ongoing. Here we first report the effects of systemic administration of the proteasomal inhibitor Z-lle-Glu(OtBu)-Ala-Leu-CHO (3 mg/kg, s.c., six times over 2 weeks) alone to extend the rat model to mice. Second we investigate the consequences of PSI pretreatment 42 weeks before an acute treatment with the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in C57bl/6 mice. HPLC postmortem neurochemistry showed a significant increase in dopamine turnover and decrease of striatal dopamine levels, only 14 weeks after PSI treatment, but no enhancement of dopamine turnover or differences in striatal dopamine levels when comparing MPTP with MPTP plus PSI treatment. Behavioral analysis (rotarod, open field activity) did not indicate that PSI affects this type of motor behavior. Systemic PSI administration in mice appears not to be a valid animal model under the experimental conditions used. Potential solutions are discussed.     

MPTP小鼠脑沉默信息调节因子1和缺氧诱导因子-1α的表达及行为学检测

目的本研究旨在研究MPTP模型小鼠中沉默信息调节因子1(SIRT1)和缺氧诱导因子1α(HIF-1α)的表达情况以及行为学的变化。方法选用MPTP处理C57BL/6小鼠构建PD动物模型,采用行为学实验、高效液相色谱(HPLC)、免疫组化等方法检验模型的建立是否成功,并在小鼠模型中检测SIRT1和HIF-1α的表达情况。结果 MPTP处理的小鼠表现出显著的行为学异常,主要体现在自主活动减少(P0.001)、步距缩短(P0.001),且有显著运动迟缓(P0.001)。HPLC结果发现,模型组小鼠纹状体区域多巴胺(DA)及其代谢产物减少(P0.001)。免疫组化结果提示黑质区域多巴胺能神经元标志物酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)和多巴胺转运体(DAT)的表达明显下调(P0.01)。分子生物学方面,PD模型小鼠的SIRT1表达降低(P0.05),HIF-1α表达增加(P0.05)。结论 PD模型小鼠表现出明显的行为学异常,多巴胺能神经元标志物检测提示成功复制PD动物模型,同时发现模型小鼠的SIRT1/HIF-1α的表达异常,提示该信号通路可能参与了PD的疾病过程。     

Mu (mu) opioid receptor regulation of ethanol-induced dopamine response in the ventral striatum: evidence of genotype specific sexual dimorphic epistasis.

BACKGROUND: Ethanol stimulates the dopaminergic mesoaccumbal pathway, which is thought to play a role in ethanol reinforcement. Mu (mu)-opioid (MOP) receptors modulate accumbal dopamine activity, but it is not clear whether MOP receptors are involved in the mechanism of ethanol-stimulated accumbal dopamine release. METHODS: We investigated the role that MOP receptors play in ethanol (2.0 g/kg)-stimulated accumbal dopamine release by using MOP receptor knockout mice (C57BL/6J-129SvEv and congenic C57BL/6J genotypes) along with blockade of MOP receptors with a mu1 selective antagonist (naloxonazine). RESULTS: Both gene deletion and pharmacological antagonism of the MOP receptor decreased ethanol-stimulated accumbal dopamine release compared with controls with female mice showing a larger effect in the C57BL/6J-129SvEv genotype. However, both male and female mice showed reduced ethanol-stimulated dopamine release in the congenic MOP receptor knockout mice (C57BL/6J). No differences in the time course of dialysate ethanol concentration were found in any of the experiments. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate the existence of a novel interaction between genotype and sex in the regulation of ethanol-stimulated mesolimbic dopamine release by the MOP receptor. This implies that a more complete understanding of the epistatic influences on the MOP receptor and mesolimbic dopamine function may provide more effective pharmacotherapeutic interventions in the treatment of alcoholism.     

Social enrichment attenuates nigrostriatal lesioning and reverses motor impairment in a progressive 1-methyl-2-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Environmental enrichment has been shown to be both neuroprotective and neurorestorative in 1-methyl-2-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse models of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, whether social interaction or novel physical stimulation is responsible for this recovery is controversial. In the current study, we have investigated the effects of only social enrichment (SocE) in progressively MPTP-lesioned mice. After mice were lesioned using a progressively increased dose (4 mg/kg, 8 mg/kg, 16 mg/kg and 32 mg/kg; each dose daily for 5 days), the MPTP-induced behavioral deficits, after the 32 mg/kg dose, were reversed with acute L-DOPA. This acute behavioral recovery suggests that this progressive MPTP-induced neurodegeneration is an appropriate murine model of PD. Mice were housed four per cage for the first 2 weeks of progressive lesioning or vehicle treatment. After the 8 mg/kg MPTP dose (prior to SocE intervention) mice showed a significant decrease in rearing and foot fault behaviors (FF/BB) compared to the vehicle group. Additionally, there was a 38% decrease in mean number of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) neurons/section, and a 50% decrease in the optical density of TH-ir dorsolateral caudate putamen (CPu) terminals compared to the vehicle group. Mice were then housed either two (socially limited environment; SLE) or twelve (SocE) mice per cage during continued MPTP lesioning for the next 2 weeks at 16 mg/kg and 32 mg/kg MPTP. MPTP treatment was then discontinued, while mice remained in the SLE or SocE cages for an additional week. Rearing behavior was further impaired in SLE-MPTP mice following progressive MPTP, accompanied by additional decreases in the mean number of TH-ir SNpc neurons/section and CPu TH-ir terminals. CPu TH and dopamine transporter (DAT) protein expression, as well as dopamine tissue and TH protein levels was significantly decreased compared to either vehicle group. However, the deficit in rearing behavior in SLE-MPTP mice was reversed with acute L-DOPA following the intervention period. SocE-MPTP mice showed rearing and FF/BB behaviors similar to vehicle levels, although FF/BB was not significantly different from pre-intervention levels. The reversal from pre-intervention rearing deficits was correlated with an attenuated decrease in the mean number of SNpc TH-ir neurons/section and CPu TH and DAT protein, and with a blocked decrease in CPu TH-ir terminals compared to pre-intervention levels. Our findings show that SocE mice not only resist further nigrostriatal lesioning and FF/BB deficit, but rearing behavior is recovered to the level of the vehicle group despite continued MPTP treatment. In contrast, SLE mice showed continued loss of nigrostriatal TH-ir and decline of motor behaviors with progressive MPTP. The data suggest that non-pharmacological intervention that started at an early stage of dopamine loss is effective at slowing or blocking further nigrostriatal degeneration.     

“抗帕颗粒”对帕金森病模型鼠的神经保护作用

目的探讨"抗帕颗粒"对1-甲基-4-苯基-1,2,3,6-四氢吡啶(MPTP)帕金森病(PD)模型小鼠黑质纹状体区TH阳性神经元及多巴胺(DA)的影响。方法 90只健康雄性C57BL/6小鼠,鼠龄8~12w,随机分为3组:正常对照组30只、PD模型对照组30只、PD模型干预组30只;MPTP腹腔注射(40mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)×7)制备小鼠PD模型;正常对照组及PD模型对照组予生理盐水1m L·d~(-1)灌胃,PD模型干预组给予"抗帕颗粒"40mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)灌胃,连续喂养4个月。比较分析各组4月时黑质纹状体区TH阳性神经元及DA情况。结果 1正常对照组30只(30/30只)最终均存活,PD模型对照组4个月时存活27只(27/30只),PD模型干预组4个月时存活28只(28/30只);2PD模型对照组、PD模型干预组小鼠每次注射MPTP后,先有短暂兴奋(持续7.61±2.17min),表现为四处窜跳;随即出现全身中重度震颤,皮毛及尾巴时有竖立,活动减少,持续24.23±3.89min后震颤消失;随后出现活动减少;3经Imagepro~Plus 5.1系统分析,正常对照组TH阳性细胞面积为64145μm~2,高倍镜下可见大量胞质为褐色颗粒的TH阳性细胞;PD模型对照组TH阳性细胞染色面积为40012μm~2,高倍镜下见TH细胞数量明显减少;PD模型干预组TH阳性细胞染色面积为60952μm~2,高倍镜下见TH阳性细胞数量较PD模型对照组增加;4正常对照组DA含量为2.18±0.31μg·m L~(-1),与PD模型对照组1.57±0.22μg·m L~(-1)比较,P0.01;正常对照组与PD模型干预组2.04±0.18μg·m L~(-1)比较。P0.05;PD模型对照组与PD模型干预组比较,P0.01。结论 "抗帕颗粒"可使PD小鼠黑质纹状体中多巴胺能神经元一定程度地减少丢失,并改善DA含量的下降,对多巴胺能神经元的数量、形态及功能具有一定的保护作用,有望改善PD治疗现状并在临床进一步推广应用。     

Loss of enteric dopaminergic neurons and associated changes in colon motility in an MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is the most common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). Symptoms of GI dysmotility include early satiety and nausea from delayed gastric emptying, bloating from poor small bowel coordination, and constipation and defecatory dysfunction from impaired colonic transit. Understanding the pathophysiology and treatment of these symptoms in PD patients has been hampered by the lack of investigation into GI symptoms and pathology in PD animal models. We report that the prototypical parkinsonian neurotoxin, MPTP (1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine), is a selective dopamine neuron toxin in the enteric nervous system (ENS). When examined 10 days after treatment, there was a 40% reduction of dopamine neurons in the ENS of C57Bl/6 mice administered MPTP (60 mg/kg). There were no differences in the density of cholinergic or nitric oxide neurons. Electrophysiological recording of neural-mediated muscle contraction in isolated colon from MPTP-treated animals confirmed a relaxation defect associated with dopaminergic degeneration. Behaviorally, MPTP induced a transient increase in colon motility, but no changes in gastric emptying or small intestine transit. These results provide the first comprehensive assessment of gastrointestinal pathophysiology in an animal model of PD. They provide insight into the impact of dopaminergic dysfunction on gastrointestinal motility and a benchmark for assessment of other PD model systems.     

The expression of proenkephalin and prodynorphin genes and the induction of c-fos gene by dopaminergic drugs are not altered in the striatum of MPTP-treated mice

Summary The expression of proenkephalin (PENK), prodynorphin (PDYN) and c-fos genes was studied in the striatum of C57B1/6 mice treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6,-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), which are used as a rodent model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Two weeks after systemic administration of MPTP (2×40 mg/kg, s.c. 18h apart), the lesion of the substantia nigra (SN) could be visualised by loss of the nigral tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA hybridization signal and by a 91% decrease in striatal dopamine levels. The levels of PENK and PDYN mRNAs were not significantly changed in the striatum of the lesioned mice, as compared to non-treated controls. The induction of the immediate early gene c-fos by the dopamine D₂ receptor antagonist haloperidol was not altered, while the selective D₁ receptor agonist SKF 38393 failed to induce c-fos in the striatum of MPTP-treated mice.These results are in contrast to the data concerning rats with the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the SN, which serve as another rodent model of PD. In the striata of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats, PENK gene is upregulated, PDYN gene is down-regulated and the induction of c-fos gene by D₂ receptor antagonists is abolished, whereas selective D₁ receptor agonists induce c-fos gene, which does not occur in non-lesioned rats.We presume that the lack of influence of the MPTP lesion in mice on the striatal gene expression was mainly caused by insufficient dopamine depletion in the striatum, which could not be increased in this model. The importance of the changes observed in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats has been discussed in the context of the mouse and primate MPTP models of PD.     

Cognitive deficits in a mouse model of pre-manifest Parkinson's disease

Early cognitive deficits are increasingly recognized in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and represent an unmet need for the treatment of PD. These early deficits have been difficult to model in mice, and their mechanisms are poorly understood. α-Synuclein is linked to both familial and sporadic forms of PD, and is believed to accumulate in brains of patients with PD before cell loss. Mice expressing human wild-type α-synuclein under the Thy1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn mice) exhibit broad overexpression of α-synuclein throughout the brain and dynamic alterations in dopamine release several months before striatal dopamine loss. We now show that these mice exhibit deficits in cholinergic systems involved in cognition, and cognitive deficits in domains affected in early PD. Together with an increase in extracellular dopamine and a decrease in cortical acetylcholine at 4-6 months of age, Thy1-aSyn mice made fewer spontaneous alternations in the Y-maze and showed deficits in tests of novel object recognition (NOR), object-place recognition, and operant reversal learning, as compared with age-matched wild-type littermates. These data indicate that cognitive impairments that resemble early PD manifestations are reproduced by α-synuclein overexpression in a murine genetic model of PD. With high power to detect drug effects, these anomalies provide a novel platform for testing improved treatments for these pervasive cognitive deficits.     

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase deletion enhances tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation in mice after MPTP treatment

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative movement disorder. Epidemiological studies have suggested most cases of PD are linked to environmental risk factors. Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is a conserved enzyme that catalyzes hydrolysis of a large number of epoxide intermediates such as drugs and epoxides of environmental toxins. We hypothesize that changes in mEH are involved in the pathogenesis of PD by modulating the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to environmental stress. Herein we reported that acute treatment with the neurotoxin MPTP (1-methyl-4-phemyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) markedly increased the mEH immunoreactivity in the nigrostriatal system of C57BL/6 mice. Next, mEH knockout (KO) mice were used, and we found that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cell loss was significantly lower in the substantia nigra of mEH KO mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice after MPTP treatment. The mean dopamine turnover ratios were significantly increased in MPTP-treated mEH KO mice compared with WT. In addition, TH is the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine biosynthesis, and its activity is mainly regulated by TH phosphorylation at Ser-31 (pSer31) and Ser-40 (pSer40). Double immunofluorescence showed that both pSer31 and pSer40 are completely colocalized in total TH-positive cells. However, immunoblotting confirmed that there was a significantly higher level of pSer31 in mEH-KO mice when compared with WT mice after MPTP, and no marked differences among TH and its phosphorylation levels occurred after saline injection. These data suggested that mEH deficiency facilitates TH phosphorylation in the nigrostriatal dopamine system, which may be associated with an increased resistance of dopaminergic neurons to environmental toxins.     

Alpha-synuclein transgenic mice display age-related slowing of gastrointestinal motility associated with transgene expression in the vagal system

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is the one of the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and occurs in nearly every patient afflicted with this common neurodegenerative disorder. While parkinsonian motor symptoms are caused by degeneration of dopamine neurons in the midbrain substantia nigra, the neurological localization of non-motor symptoms in PD is not known. In this study, we examined a transgenic mouse model of PD in which mutant (A53T) human α-synuclein was expressed under control of the prion promoter (AS mice). We found that gastrointestinal expression of human α-synuclein in this transgenic line was limited to efferent fibers projecting from the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMV) to the enteric nervous system (ENS). Older transgenic mice had a lower density of human α-synuclein expression in the GI tract, suggesting an age-related disruption of efferent vagal fibers in this model. At the same time, mice developed age-related declines in stool frequency and gastric emptying consistent with those seen in human PD. These behavioral and neuropathological patterns parallel those seen in PD patients and suggest the DMV as a target for further investigation into causes for GI neuropathology and symptomatology in parkinsonism.     

线粒体复合物及ATP酶活性在不同月龄帕金森病模型小鼠的差异

目的探讨不同月龄帕金森病(PD)模型小鼠线粒体呼吸功能的差异。方法选用8个月龄、16个月龄雌性C57BL/6小鼠,随机分为8个月龄对照组、8个月龄模型组、16个月龄对照组、16个月龄模型组。模型组小鼠皮下注射MPTP制成PD模型,对照组注射等量生理盐水;进行行为学测试,并检测其黑质多巴胺含量,采用紫外分光吸光度法检测线粒体复合物Ⅰ~Ⅳ的活性,采用荧光素酶发光法检测ATP的合成活力。结果与对照组相比,模型组小鼠行为学成绩降低,黑质多巴胺含量显著下降(P0.05),线粒体复合物Ⅰ的活性明显低于对照组(P0.05),ATP合成活力降低;与8个月龄PD小鼠相比,16个月龄小鼠行为学成绩、多巴胺含量及线粒体复合物Ⅰ的活性及ATP合成活力降低更明显(P0.05)。各组线粒体复合物Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ差异无统计学意义。结论小鼠黑质纹状体系统线粒体呼吸功能减弱可能是导致PD发生的重要原因之一,老龄可加速其功能障碍。     

Transplants of neurosphere cell suspensions from aged mice are functional in the mouse model of Parkinson's

Neural stem cell therapy has the potential to treat neurodegenerative disorders. For Parkinson's disease (PD), the goal is to enhance the dopamine system sufficiently to restore the control of movement and motor activities. In consideration of autologous stem cell therapy for PD, it will be necessary to propagate the cells in most cases from aged brain tissue. We isolated cells from the subventricular zone (SVZ) in the brains of 1-year-old enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice and generated neurospheres in culture. Neurospheres yielding high numbers of neurons and astrocytes "de novo" were selected and cryopreserved before evaluating the efficacy of neurosphere cell suspensions transplanted to the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of PD. In mice unilaterally lesioned with 6-OHDA, transplants of neurosphere cell suspensions to the striatum yielded astrocytes and tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons that reduced or reversed the drug-induced behavioral circling response to amphetamine and apomorphine. Control mice without the cell suspensions showed no change in the motor behavior. Our results indicate that the SVZ in the aged mouse brain contains cells that can be expanded in the form of neurospheres, cryopreserved, re-expanded and then transplanted into the damaged dopamine system to generate functional cell progeny that offset the motor disturbances in the nigrostriatal system.     

Intrastriatal lipopolysaccharide injection induces parkinsonism in C57/B6 mice

A role for inflammation has been hypothesized in the etiology and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we generated, characterized, and validated the first progressive PD‐related mouse model (C57/B6) with intrastriatal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We showed progressive and specific dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra, which is accompanied by striatal dopamine depletion and progressive behavioral impairment, which was alleviated by the use of the PD drug L‐Dopa. We focused on the role of nitric oxide (NO) in inflammation‐promoted cell death and suggest that the expression of the inducible NO synthase plays a role in the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons but not the initial loss induced by LPS. With this model, future research can be performed in gene knockout mice to study other potential mechanisms of inflammation‐induced neurodegeneration. In addition, this model can be used to screen therapeutics for PD at a more clinically relevant time (i.e., after LPS injection but before manifestation of PD‐related behavioral impairment), because most PD drugs are screened in animal models in which inhibitors are given predisease induction. Thus, this novel PD‐related model should be further characterized and strongly considered as a tool for future drug studies. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Wild-type and mutant alpha-synuclein induce a multi-component gene expression profile consistent with shared pathophysiology in different transgenic mouse models of PD

The pathophysiological processes that cause Parkinson's disease (PD) affect dopamine neurons residing in the substantia nigra with devastating consequences for normal movement. One important gene involved in both familial and sporadic PD is alpha-synuclein. We have generated three strains of alpha-synuclein transgenic mice to study the pathologic consequences of the targeted expression of mutant or wild-type human alpha-synuclein in a model system. We have analyzed gene expression patterns in these mice using high throughput microarrays in anatomical regions implicated in disease (substantia nigra and brainstem). Our study reveals gene dosage-dependent dysregulation of several genes important for the dopaminergic phenotype in mice over-expressing wild-type human alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra at time points preceding neuronal cell death. Analysis of mutant alpha-synuclein mice at a time point when pathology is advanced reveals several new candidate genes that may play a role in neuronal demise and/or protein accumulation.     

Neuroprotective effects of (+/-)-kavain in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease

This is the first study to investigate the potential protective effects of the lipophilic kavapyrone (+/-)-kavain in the experimental MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Male C57BL/6 mice were treated with (+/-)-kavain (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle 60 min before and 60 min after a single administration of MPTP (30 mg/kg s.c.) or saline, respectively. Mice were sacrificed after 7 days and the neostriatum was analyzed for dopamine and its metabolites using HPLC with electrochemical detection. Furthermore, nigral sections were processed for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry. To determine the effects of (+/-)-kavain (200 mg/kg) on MPTP metabolism, HPLC analysis of striatal MPP(+) (1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium) levels was performed. MPTP treatment alone led to a significant depletion of striatal dopamine levels to 12.61% of saline controls. The lower dosages of (+/-)-kavain (50 and 100 mg/kg) showed only a nonsignificant attenuation of MPTP-induced dopamine depletion, but a high dosage of (+/-)-kavain (200 mg/kg) significantly antagonized the dopamine depletion to 58.93% of saline control values. Remarkably, the MPTP-induced decrease of TH-immunoreactivity as well as the loss of nigral neurons was completely prevented by (+/-)-kavain (200 mg/kg). Striatal MPP(+) levels were not altered by (+/-)-kavain treatment. In conclusion, we found that MPTP metabolism was not influenced by (+/-)-kavain and postulate the antiglutamatergic effects of (+/-)-kavain for its protective effects against MPTP toxicity. (+/-)-Kavain may be a novel candidate for further preclinical studies in animal models of PD and other disorders with glutamatergic overactivity.     

Chronic inhalation of rotenone or paraquat does not induce Parkinson's disease symptoms in mice or rats

Epidemiological studies suggest that some pesticides might constitute a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, risk assessment cannot be performed in the current experimental animal models because they use non-natural pathways of pesticide exposure, such as intraperitoneal or intravenous injection, that might bypass body defences. A new model based on daily inoculation of neurotoxins in the nasal cavity of C57BL/6 mice for 30 days was used to evaluate risk of three complex I inhibitors, 1-methyl-4-phenyl1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), rotenone and paraquat. These compounds displayed very different effects on motor activity, striatal dopamine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels and loss of dopaminergic neurons. MPTP-treated mice developed motor deficits that correlated with a severe depletion of striatal dopamine levels, and loss of tyrosine hydroxylase staining in substantia nigra and striatum. By contrast, rotenone-treated mice or rats were asymptomatic. Paraquat induced severe hypokinesia and vestibular damage but did not alter the nigrostriatal system. The new animal model described here, based on chronic intranasal inoculation of neurotoxicants, provides a new tool to assess the potential danger of environmental toxins as risk factors for development of PD.     

MPTP treatment impairs tyrosine hydroxylase immunopositive fibers not only in the striatum, but also in the amygdala

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a triad of symptoms (tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia). Aside from this, emotional deficits are known to be associated with PD. A key structure of emotional processing is the amygdala. Emotional deficits seen in PD might be due to alterations in the catecholaminergic innervation of this limbic structure. We therefore examined whether 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) applied to C57/BL6 mice (an animal model of PD) affects the density of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive fibers in the amygdala as it does in the striatum. MPTP treatment caused a prominent reduction in dopamine levels (about -70%) in the striatum (determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection), accompanied by massive losses of TH-positive fibers in the striatum (-48.3%). Moreover, MPTP treatment caused prominent reductions of TH-positive fiber densities in the basolateral, lateral and central nucleus of the amygdala (about -20%). These results may provide the morphological basis for behavioral studies analyzing altered emotional responses in animal models of PD.     

Additive neuroprotective effects of creatine and a cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor against dopamine depletion in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

There is evidence that both inflammatory mechanisms and mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. We investigated whether the cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor rofecoxib either alone or in combination with creatine could exert neuroprotective effects in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine model of PD in mice. Both rofecoxib and creatine administered alone protected against striatal dopamine depletions and loss of substantia nigra tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons. Administration of rofecoxib with creatine produced significant additive neuroprotective effects against dopamine depletions. These results suggest that a combination of a COX-2 inhibitor with creatine might be a useful neuroprotective strategy for PD.