Dopaminergic toxicity of rotenone and the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion after their stereotaxic administration to rats: implication for the mechanism of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine toxicity

Changes in lipid peroxidation induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium in mouse brain homogenates

We studied the effect of the Parkinson-inducing drug 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and of its metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) on lipid peroxidation in mouse brain homogenates in vitro. MPTP (0.35-1.4 mM) inhibited both spontaneous and Fe2+-induced peroxidation in a dose-dependent manner. MPP+, on the other hand, produced a slight enhancement of lipid peroxidation at 1.4 and 2.1 mM concentrations. These results are discussed in terms of the possible mechanisms of MPTP and MPP+ neurotoxicity.

Effects of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion on activities of the enzymes in the electron transport system in mouse brain

The effects of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) on activities of enzyme complexes in the electron transport system were studied using isolated mitochondrial preparations from C57BL/6J mouse brains. Both MPTP and MPP+ dose-dependently inhibited activity of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.5.3). The inhibition was reversible. Preincubation of freeze-thawed mitochondria with MPTP or MPP+ had no effect on the inhibition; however, when nonfrozen mitochondria were used, NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity was reduced to 46% of that in the nonincubated sample after a 5-min preincubation with MPTP and to 77% of that in the nonincubated sample after a 5-min preincubation with MPP+. Kinetic analyses revealed that inhibition of MPTP was noncompetitive and that of MPP+ uncompetitive with respect to NADH. On the other hand, inhibition of MPTP was uncompetitive and that of MPP+ noncompetitive with respect to ubiquinone. Succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex II), dihydroubiquinone-cytochrome c oxidoreductase (complex III), and ferrocytochrome c-oxygen oxidoreductase (EC 1.9.3.1) activities were either slightly inhibited or not inhibited by MPTP or MPP+. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the mechanism of MPTP-induced neuronal degeneration.

Effects of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine and its metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine on acetylcholine synthesis in synaptosomes from rat forebrain

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and its metabolite, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+), have been shown to cause a number of lesions in dopaminergic pathways of the nigro-striatal region of the brain. However, data on the effects of these neurotoxins on other aspects of brain metabolism are scarce. The data presented here show that MPTP and MPP+ inhibit glucose oxidation via the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and acetylcholine synthesis in synaptosomal preparations from rat forebrain. Monoamine oxidase B inhibitors (e.g., pargyline, MDL 72145) relieve the inhibition caused by MPTP but not MPP+. The inhibitory effects of MPP+ on glucose oxidation and acetylcholine synthesis are a consequence of the decreased glucose metabolism in synaptosomes and are consistent with its role as an inhibitor of the Complex I (NADH-CoQ reductase) of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Inhibition of mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion

Effects of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) on the activities of NAD+- or NADP+-linked dehydrogenases in the TCA cycle were studied using mitochondria prepared from mouse brains. Activities of NAD+- and NADP+-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases, NADH- and NADPH-linked glutamate dehydrogenases, and malate dehydrogenase were little affected by 2 mM of MPP+. However, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity was significantly inhibited by MPP+. Kinetic analysis revealed a competitive type of inhibition. Inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase may be one of the important mechanisms of MPP+-induced inhibition of mitochondrial respiration, and of neuronal degeneration.

Inhibition of mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion

Effect of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) on the activity of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase was studied using mitochondria prepared from rat brains. At first, inhibition of oxygen consumption by MPP+ with pyruvate + malate or glutamate + malate as substrates was confirmed polarographically using a Clark-type oxygen electrode. Then, activity of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase in the same samples used in polarography was assayed. Incubation of mitochondria with 0.05 mM of MPP+ together with glutamate, malate and ADP resulted in approximately 50% inhibition of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity. Significance of the results was discussed with respect to the mechanism of neuronal degeneration by MPP+.

MPTP, MPP+ and mitochondrial function

1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), the putative toxic metabolite of the neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), inhibited NAD(H)-linked mitochondrial oxidation at the level of Complex I of the electron transport system. MPTP and MPP+ inhibited aerobic glycolysis in mouse striatal slices, as measured by increased lactate production; MPTP-induced effects were prevented by inhibition of monoamine oxidase B activity. Several neurotoxic analogs of MPTP also form pyridinium metabolites via MAO; these MPP+ analogs were all inhibitors of NAD(H)-linked oxidation by isolated mitochondria. 2'-Methyl-MPTP, a more potent neurotoxin in mice than MPTP, was also more potent than MPTP in inducing lactate accumulation in mouse brain striatal slices. Overall, the studies support the hypothesis that compromise of mitochondrial oxidative capacity is an important factor in the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of MPTP and similar compounds.

The use of the radial arm maze in neurotoxicology

The neurotoxicity of a variety of compounds may be uniquely expressed in their ability to disrupt cognitive function. The development of sophisticated behavioral tasks to assess cognitive and mnemonic function in rodents provides necessary tools for addressing these effects. The radial arm maze has been increasingly utilized to examine the psychological and neurobiological substrates of cognitive function. This paper critically examines the usefulness of this task in determining (1) the neurotoxicity of suspected neurotoxic compounds, (2) the neural systems which appear to be uniquely susceptible to a variety of toxicants and degenerative processes, and (3) the degree of behavioral and neural plasticity following neurotoxic insult. It is concluded that the radial arm maze provides an important tool that can be used to address several of the fundamental problems in neurotoxicology.

1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+): regional dopamine neuron uptake, toxicity, and novel rotational behavior following dopamine receptor proliferation

The regional uptake and subsequent dopaminergic toxicity, receptor proliferation, and rotational behavior pharmacology following intracerebral 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+) administration was determined in the rat. [3H]MPP+ was transported by the high-affinity dopamine uptake system equally in the caudate-putamen (CP), nucleus accumbens (NA) and olfactory tubercle (OT), and to a lesser extent in the substantia nigra. Consistent with the equivalent uptake of [3H]MPP+ by mesostriatal and mesolimbic dopamine neurons, dopamine concentrations of the ipsilateral CP and NA were decreased equally (83-98%) following a 10, 17.5 or 25 microgram injection of MPP+ along the left medial forebrain bundle (MFB). At four weeks after a 25 microgram injection of MPP+ into the MFB, the concentration (Bmax) of D2 receptors in the left CP was increased by 42% compared with the intact hemisphere. D2 receptors did not proliferate in the denervated nucleus accumbens. The affinity (Kd) of D2 receptors was not affected in either the CP or NA. The MPP+ injection, which was restricted to the region of striatonigral efferent fibers, also produced a 60% decrease in the GABA content of the substantia nigra. Ipsiversive rotational behavior was induced in MPP+-treated rats by systemic injections of d-amphetamine. Systemic injections of neither the dopamine agonist apomorphine nor agonist prodrug formulation of 1-DOPA and carbidopa induced contraversive rotation. These behavioral and neurochemical results are identical to those observed following concomitant destruction of striatonigral GABA and mesostriatal dopamine projections, and indicate that MPP+ may be toxic to GABAergic as well as to A10 and A9 dopaminergic neurons.