Effects of short- and long-term (--)-deprenyl administration on mRNA for copper, zinc- and manganese-superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in rat brain

Role of the redox protein thioredoxin in cytoprotective mechanism evoked by (-)-deprenyl

Through the inhibition of monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B), (-)-deprenyl (selegiline) prevents the conversion of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to the toxic metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) and also prevents the neurotoxicity in the dopaminergic neurons in animal models. Cumulative observations suggest that selegiline may also protect against MPP+-induced neurotoxicity, possibly through the induction of pro-survival genes. We have observed that thioredoxin (Trx) mediates the induction of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and Bcl-2 during preconditioning-induced hormesis. We therefore investigated whether the redox protein Trx plays any role in the neuroprotective mechanism of selegiline against MPP+-induced cytotoxicity in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and also in primary neuronal cultures of mouse midbrain dopaminergic neurons. After confirming that selegiline protects against MPP+-induced cytotoxicity, we observed further that selegiline, at 1 microM or less, induced Trx for protection against oxidative injury caused by MPP+. The induction of Trx was blocked by protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor and mediated by a PKA-sensitive phospho-activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase Erk1/2 and the transcription factor c-Myc. Selegiline-induced Trx and associated neuroprotection were concomitantly blocked by the antisense against Trx mRNA, but not the sense or antisense mutant phosphothionate oligonucleotides, not only in human SH-SY5Y cells but also in mouse primary neuronal culture of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, the redox cycling of Trx may mediate the protective action of selegiline because the inhibition of Trx reductase by 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene ameliorated the effect of selegiline. Trx (1 microM) consistently increased the expression of mitochondrial proteins MnSOD and Bcl-2, supporting cell survival (Andoh et al., 2002). In conclusion, without modifying MAO-B activity, selegiline augments the gene induction of Trx, leading to elevated expression of antioxidative MnSOD and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins for protecting against MPP+-induced neurotoxicity.

Effects of selegiline on antioxidant systems in the nigrostriatum in rat

Selegiline, a therapeutic agent of Parkinson's disease, is known to have neuroprotective properties that may involve its regulatory effects on antioxidant enzymes. We evaluated effects of selegiline on activities of catalase (CAT), Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and Mn-SOD (SOD2) in the striatum, cortex and hippocampus of 8- and 25-week-old rats, and on SOD activities and glutathione levels in mesencephalic slice cultures. Selegiline (2 mg/kg) significantly increased CAT and SOD2 activities in the striatum, but not in the cortex and hippocampus, of 25-week-old rats. In contrast, selegiline failed to increase CAT and SOD activities in three brain regions of 8-week-old rats, whereas L: -dopa significantly increased SOD1 activity in the striatum. In slice cultures, selegiline increased SOD1 and SOD2 activities with a maximal effective concentration of 10(-8) and 10(-10) M, respectively. Moreover, selegiline significantly increased glutathione level. These results suggest that selegiline can decrease oxidative stress in nigrostriatum by augmenting various antioxidant systems, each of which responds optimally to different concentrations of selegiline.

Alterations in m-RNA expression for Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the basal ganglia of MPTP-treated marmosets and patients with Parkinson's disease

Alterations occurring in the antioxidant enzymes, copper, zinc-dependent superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) following nigral dopaminergic denervation are unclear. We now report on the distribution and levels of m-RNA for Cu,Zn-SOD and GPX in basal ganglia of normal and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated common marmosets, and in normal individuals and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using in situ hybridization histochemistry and oligodeoxynucleotide (single-stranded DNA) probes. Cu,Zn-SOD and GPX m-RNA was present throughout basal ganglia (nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra) in the common marmoset, with the highest levels being in substantia nigra (SN). Following MPTP induced nigral cell loss, Cu,Zn-SOD m-RNA levels were decreased in all areas but the SNr, and particularly in SNc (71%, P<0.001). MPTP-treatment had no effect on GPX m-RNA expression in any area of basal ganglia. Cu,Zn-SOD and GPX m-RNA was also present in the normal human SN. In PD, however, Cu,Zn-SOD m-RNA was significantly decreased (89%, P<0.005) in SNc, and there was a near-complete loss of GPX m-RNA in both SNc (100%, P<0.005) and SNr (88%, P<0.005). The loss of Cu,Zn-SOD m-RNA in SNc in MPTP-treated marmosets and patients with PD suggests that it is primarily located in dopaminergic neuronal cell bodies. The loss of GPX m-RNA in SNc in PD also suggests a localisation to dopaminergic cell bodies, but the similar change in SNr may indicate its presence in dopaminergic neurites. In contrast, the absence of change in GPX m-RNA in MPTP-treated primates appears to rule out its presence in dopaminergic cells in this species, but this may only be apparent and may reflect increased expression in glial cells following acute toxin treatment.