Survival promotion of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by depolarizing concentrations of K+ requires concurrent inactivation of NMDA or AMPA/kainate receptors

Several neuropeptides involved in parkinsonian neuroprotection modulate the firing properties of nigral dopaminergic neurons

Parkinson's disease is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The surviving nigral dopaminergic neurons display altered spontaneous firing activity in Parkinson's disease. The firing rate of nigral dopaminergic neurons decreases long before complete neuronal death and the appearance of parkinsonian symptoms. A mild stimulation could rescue dopaminergic neurons from death and in turn play neuroprotective effects. Several neuropeptides, including cholecystokinin (CCK), ghrelin, neurotensin, orexin, tachykinins and apelin, within the substantia nigra pars compacta play important roles in the modulation of spontaneous firing activity of dopaminergic neurons and therefore involve motor control and motor disorders. Here, we review neuropeptide-induced modulation of the firing properties of nigral dopaminergic neurons. This review may provide a background to guide further investigations into the involvement of neuropeptides in movement control by modulating firing activity of nigral dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease.

Targeting the orexin/hypocretin system for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases: from animal to clinical studies

Orexins (also known as hypocretins) are neuropeptides located exclusively in hypothalamic neurons that have extensive projections throughout the central nervous system and bind two different G protein-coupled receptors (OX1R and OX2R). Since its discovery in 1998, the orexin system has gained the interest of the scientific community as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of different pathological conditions. Considering previous basic science research, a dual orexin receptor antagonist, suvorexant, was the first orexin agent to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat insomnia. In this review, we discuss and update the main preclinical and human studies involving the orexin system with several psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. This system constitutes a nice example of how basic scientific research driven by curiosity can be the best route to the generation of new and powerful pharmacological treatments.

Quantifying Spontaneous Ca2+ Fluxes and their Downstream Effects in Primary Mouse Midbrain Neurons

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by the degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Excessive Ca²⁺ influx due to the abnormal activation of glutamate receptors results in DA excitotoxicity and has been identified as an important mechanism for DA neuron loss. In this study, we isolate, dissociate, and culture midbrain neurons from the mouse ventral mesencephalon (VM) of ED14 mouse embryos. We then infect the long-term primary mouse midbrain cultures with an adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing a genetically encoded calcium indicator, GCaMP6f under control of the human neuron-specific synapsin promoter, hSyn. Using live confocal imaging, we show that cultured mouse midbrain neurons display spontaneous Ca²⁺ fluxes detected by AAV-hSyn-GCaMP6f. Bath application of glutamate to midbrain cultures causes abnormal elevations in intracellular Ca²⁺ within neurons and this is accompanied by caspase-3 activation in DA neurons, as demonstrated by immunostaining. The techniques to identify glutamate-mediated apoptosis in primary mouse DA neurons have important applications for the high content screening of drugs that preserve DA neuron health.

Orexins role in neurodegenerative diseases: From pathogenesis to treatment

Orexin is a neurotransmitter that mainly regulates sleep/wake cycle. In addition to its sleep cycle regulatory role, it is involved in regulation of attention, energy homeostasis, neurogenesis and cognition. Several evidences has shown the involvement of orexin in narcolepsy, but there are also growing evidences that shows the disturbance in orexin system in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Epilepsy, Huntington's diseases and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Pathogenesis and clinical symptoms of these disorders can be partly attributed from orexin system imbalance. However, there are controversial reports on the exact relationship between orexin and these neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize the current evidences regarding the role of orexin in these neurodegenerative diseases.

Dopamine neuronal protection in the mouse Substantia nigra by GHSR is independent of electric activity

Objective

Dopamine neurons in the Substantia nigra (SN) play crucial roles in control of voluntary movement. Extensive degeneration of this neuronal population is the cause of Parkinson's disease (PD). Many factors have been linked to SN DA neuronal survival, including neuronal pacemaker activity (responsible for maintaining basal firing and DA tone) and mitochondrial function. Dln-101, a naturally occurring splice variant of the human ghrelin gene, targets the ghrelin receptor (GHSR) present in the SN DA cells. Ghrelin activation of GHSR has been shown to protect SN DA neurons against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,5,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) treatment. We decided to compare the actions of Dln-101 with ghrelin and identify the mechanisms associated with neuronal survival.

Methods

Histologial, biochemical, and behavioral parameters were used to evaluate neuroprotection. Inflammation and redox balance of SN DA cells were evaluated using histologial and real-time PCR analysis. Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) technology was used to modulate SN DA neuron electrical activity and associated survival. Mitochondrial dynamics in SN DA cells was evaluated using electron microscopy data.

Results

Here, we report that the human isoform displays an equivalent neuroprotective factor. However, while exogenous administration of mouse ghrelin electrically activates SN DA neurons increasing dopamine output, as well as locomotion, the human isoform significantly suppressed dopamine output, with an associated decrease in animal motor behavior. Investigating the mechanisms by which GHSR mediates neuroprotection, we found that dopamine cell-selective control of electrical activity is neither sufficient nor necessary to promote SN DA neuron survival, including that associated with GHSR activation. We found that Dln101 pre-treatment diminished MPTP-induced mitochondrial aberrations in SN DA neurons and that the effect of Dln101 to protect dopamine cells was dependent on mitofusin 2, a protein involved in the process of mitochondrial fusion and tethering of the mitochondria to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Conclusions

Taken together, these observations unmasked a complex role of GHSR in dopamine neuronal protection independent on electric activity of these cells and revealed a crucial role for mitochondrial dynamics in some aspects of this process.

•

Dln101 is a human splice-variant of the ghrelin gene with different expression pattern.

•

Ghrelin and Dln101 display equivalent levels of neuroprotection of SN DA cells.

•

Modulation of electrical activity of SN DA cells is not relevant for neuroprotection.

•

Mitochondrial fusion protein 2 (MFN 2) blocks DLN101-induced mitochondrial fusion in SN DA neurons and prevents DLN101-induced neuroprotection.

Xenon-mediated neuroprotection in response to sustained, low-level excitotoxic stress

Noble gases such as xenon and argon have been reported to provide neuroprotection against acute brain ischemic/anoxic injuries. Herein, we wished to evaluate the protective potential of these two gases under conditions relevant to the pathogenesis of chronic neurodegenerative disorders. For that, we established cultures of neurons typically affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, that is, cortical neurons and basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and exposed them to L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) to generate sustained, low-level excitotoxic stress. Over a period of 4 days, PDC caused a progressive loss of cortical neurons which was prevented substantially when xenon replaced nitrogen in the cell culture atmosphere. Unlike xenon, argon remained inactive. Xenon acted downstream of the inhibitory and stimulatory effects elicited by PDC on glutamate uptake and efflux, respectively. Neuroprotection by xenon was mimicked by two noncompetitive antagonists of NMDA glutamate receptors, memantine and ketamine. Each of them potentiated xenon-mediated neuroprotection when used at concentrations providing suboptimal rescue to cortical neurons but most surprisingly, no rescue at all. The survival-promoting effects of xenon persisted when NMDA was used instead of PDC to trigger neuronal death, indicating that NMDA receptor antagonism was probably accountable for xenon’s effects. An excess of glycine failed to reverse xenon neuroprotection, thus excluding a competitive interaction of xenon with the glycine-binding site of NMDA receptors. Noticeably, antioxidants such as Trolox and N-acetylcysteine reduced PDC-induced neuronal death but xenon itself lacked free radical-scavenging activity. Cholinergic neurons were also rescued efficaciously by xenon in basal forebrain cultures. Unexpectedly, however, xenon stimulated cholinergic traits and promoted the morphological differentiation of cholinergic neurons in these cultures. Memantine reproduced some of these neurotrophic effects, albeit with less efficacy than xenon. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that xenon may have a therapeutic potential in AD.

Succinobucol, a Non-Statin Hypocholesterolemic Drug, Prevents Premotor Symptoms and Nigrostriatal Neurodegeneration in an Experimental Model of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by non-motor and motor disabilities. This study investigated whether succinobucol (SUC) could mitigate nigrostriatal injury caused by intranasal 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration in mice. Moreover, the effects of SUC against MPTP-induced behavioral impairments and neurochemical changes were also evaluated. The quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive (TH⁺) cells was also performed in primary mesencephalic cultures to evaluate the effects of SUC against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺) toxicity in vitro. C57BL/6 mice were treated with SUC (10 mg/kg/day, intragastric (i.g.)) for 30 days, and thereafter, animals received MPTP infusion (1 mg/nostril) and SUC treatment continued for additional 15 days. MPTP-infused animals displayed significant non-motor symptoms including olfactory and short-term memory deficits evaluated in the olfactory discrimination, social recognition, and water maze tasks. These behavioral impairments were accompanied by inhibition of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase activity (complex I), as well as significant decrease of TH and dopamine transporter (DAT) immunoreactivity in the substantia nigra pars compacta and striatum. Although SUC treatment did not rescue NADH dehydrogenase activity inhibition, it was able to blunt MPTP-induced behavioral impairments and prevented the decrease in TH and DAT immunoreactivities in substantia nigra (SN) and striatum. SUC also suppressed striatal astroglial activation and increased interleukin-6 levels in MPTP-intoxicated mice. Furthermore, SUC significantly prevented the loss of TH⁺ neurons induced by MPP⁺ in primary mesencephalic cultures. These results provide new evidence that SUC treatment counteracts early non-motor symptoms and neurodegeneration/neuroinflammation in the nigrostriatal pathway induced by intranasal MPTP administration in mice by modulating events downstream to the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase inhibition.

Specific needs of dopamine neurons for stimulation in order to survive: implication for Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is a degenerative brain disorder characterized by motor symptoms that are unequivocally associated with the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Although our knowledge of the mechanisms that contribute to DA cell death in both hereditary and sporadic forms of the disease has advanced significantly, the nature of the pathogenic process remains poorly understood. In this review, we present evidence that neurodegeneration occurs when the electrical activity and excitability of these neurons is reduced. In particular, we will focus on the specific need these neurons may have for stimulation in order to survive and on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that may be compromised when this need is no longer met in PD.

Prolonged membrane depolarization enhances midbrain dopamine neuron differentiation via epigenetic histone modifications

Understanding midbrain dopamine (DA) neuron differentiation is of importance, because of physiological and clinical implications of this neuronal subtype. We show that prolonged membrane depolarization induced by KCl treatment promotes DA neuron differentiation from neural precursor cells (NPCs) derived from embryonic ventral midbrain (VM). Interestingly, the depolarization-induced increase of DA neuron yields was not abolished by L-type calcium channel blockers, along with no depolarization-mediated change of intracellular calcium level in the VM-derived NPCs (VM-NPCs), suggesting that the depolarization effect is due to a calcium-independent mechanism. Experiments with labeled DA neuron progenitors indicate that membrane depolarization acts at the differentiation fate determination stage and promotes the expression of DA phenotype genes (tyrosine hydroxylase [TH] and DA transporter [DAT]). Recruitment of Nurr1, a transcription factor crucial for midbrain DA neuron development, to the promoter of TH gene was enhanced by depolarization, along with increases of histone 3 acetylation (H3Ac) and trimethylation of histone3 on lysine 4 (H3K4m3), and decreases of H3K9m3 and H3K27m3 in the consensus Nurr1 binding regions of TH promoter. Depolarization stimuli on differentiating VM-NPCs also induced dissociation of methyl CpG binding protein 2 and related repressor complex molecules (repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor corepressor and histone deacetylase 1) from the CpG sites of TH and DAT promoters. Based on these findings, we suggest that membrane depolarization promotes DA neuron differentiation by opening chromatin structures surrounding DA phenotype genes and inhibiting the binding of corepressors, thus allowing transcriptional activators such as Nurr1 to access DA neuron differentiation gene promoter regions.

Engrailed protects mouse midbrain dopaminergic neurons against mitochondrial complex I insults

Mice heterozygous for the homeobox gene Engrailed-1 (En1) display progressive loss of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mDA) neurons. We report that exogenous Engrailed-1 and Engrailed-2 (collectively Engrailed) protect mDA neurons from 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a mitochondrial complex I toxin used to model Parkinson's disease in animals. Engrailed enhances the translation of nuclearly encoded mRNAs for two key complex I subunits, Ndufs1 and Ndufs3, and increases complex I activity. Accordingly, in vivo protection against MPTP by Engrailed is antagonized by Ndufs1 small interfering RNA. An association between Engrailed and complex I is further confirmed by the reduced expression of Ndufs1 and Ndufs3 in the substantia nigra pars compacta of En1 heterozygous mice. Engrailed also confers in vivo protection against 6-hydroxydopamine and α-synuclein-A30P. Finally, the unilateral infusion of Engrailed into the midbrain increases striatal dopamine content, resulting in contralateral amphetamine-induced turning. Therefore, Engrailed is both a survival factor for adult mDA neurons and a regulator of their physiological activity.

Methylxanthines and ryanodine receptor channels

Methylxanthines of either natural or synthetic origin have a number of interesting pharmacological features. Proposed mechanisms of methylxanthine-induced pharmacological effects include competitive antagonism of G-coupled adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors and inhibition of phosphodiesterases. A number of studies have indicated that methylxanthines also exert effects through alternative mechanisms, in particular via activation of sarcoplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels. More specifically, RyR channel activation by methylxanthines was reported (1) to stimulate the process of excitation coupling in muscle cells, (2) to augment the excitability of neurons and thus their capacity to release neurotransmitters, and also (3) to improve their survival. Here, we address the mechanisms by which methylxanthines control RyR activation and we consider the pharmacological consequences of this activation, in muscle and neuronal cells.

Role of activity-dependent mechanisms in the control of dopaminergic neuron survival

Dopaminergic neurons that constitute the nigrostriatal pathway are characterized by singular electrical properties that allow them to discharge in vivo spontaneously in a spectrum of patterns ranging from pacemaker to random and bursting modes. These electrophysiological features allow dopaminergic neurons to optimize the release of dopamine in their terminal fields. However, there is emerging evidence indicating that electrical activity might also participate in the control of dopaminergic neuron survival, not only during development, but also in the adult brain, thus raising the possibility that alterations in ionic currents could contribute actively to the demise of these neurons in Parkinson disease. This review focuses on the mechanisms by which activity-dependent mechanisms might modulate dopaminergic cell survival.

Dopaminergic neurons reduced to silence by oxidative stress: an early step in the death cascade in Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder that is most often sporadic, but in some cases it can be inherited as a simple Mendelian trait. The most important pathological feature of the disease is the death of brainstem dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, which leads to characteristic motor symptoms. The etiology of PD remains unknown, but mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress may contribute actively to the underlying pathomechanism. New studies suggest that K(ATP) channel activation may represent a downstream effector of these two cellular anomalies.

Activation of p53 signaling initiates apoptotic death in a cellular model of Parkinson’s disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction caused by oxidative stress and genetic defects have been implicated in the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease. However, the key molecular events that provoke neurodegeneration still remain poorly understood. We recently showed that shortly after exposure to oxidative stress, only those cells showing phosphorylation of p53 at Ser-15 subsequently undergo active cell death. To investigate the role of this early p53 signaling response in cell death, 6-hydroxydopamine was used to induce oxidative stress in dopaminergic neurons generated from embryonic stem cells and PC12-D(2)R cells. Exposure to toxic concentrations of 6-hydroxydopamine induced phosphorylation of p53 at Ser-15 even before cells show mitochondrial permeabilization and apoptosis. We found that 6-hydroxydopamine induced phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase an event integral to p53 activation and caffeine (ATM kinase inhibitor) inhibited Ser-15 phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of Ser-15 was correlated with enhanced induction and functional activation of p53 manifest as transcription of the pro-apoptotic p53 target Puma. Moreover, inhibition of the p53 abrogated the induction of Puma and promotion of apoptosis due to 6-hydroxydopamine treatments. Thus, these data suggest that activation of p53 signaling immediately after neurotoxin exposure acts as an initiating factor to mediate apoptosis in dopaminergic cells.

Substance P, neurokinins A and B, and synthetic tachykinin peptides protect mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in culture via an activity-dependent mechanism

We evaluated the neuroprotective potential of tachykinin peptides using a model system in which mesencephalic dopaminergic (DA) neurons die spontaneously and selectively as they mature. The three native tachykinins, substance P (SP), neurokinin (NK) A, and NKB afforded substantial protection against DA cell demise. The selective NK1 receptor antagonist [D-Pro9,[spiro-gamma-lactam] Leu10,Trp11]substance P (GR71251) was sufficient in itself to suppress the effect of SP, whereas a cotreatment with GR71251 and the NK3 receptor antagonist (R)-N-[alpha-(methoxycarbonyl)benzyl]-2-phenylquinoline-4-carboxamide (SB218795) was required to prevent the effects of both NKA and NKB. Consistent with these results, D-Ala-[L-Pro9,Me-Leu8]substance P(7-11) (GR73632), a selective agonist of NK1 receptors and [pro7]-NKB, a selective agonist of NK3 receptors, conferred protection to DA neurons, whereas (Lys3, Gly8-R-gamma-lactam-Leu9)neurokinin A(3-10) (GR64349), which activates specifically NK2 receptors, did not. DA neurons rescued by tachykinins accumulated [3H]DA efficiently, which suggests that they were also totally functional. Neuroprotection by tachykinins was highly selective for DA neurons, rapidly reversed upon treatment withdrawal, and reproduced by but independent of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. Survival promotion by tachykinins was abolished by blocking voltage-gated Na+ channels with tetrodotoxin or N-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels with omega-conotoxin-MVIIA, which indicates that an increase in neuronal excitability was crucially involved in this effect. Together, these data further support the notion that the survival of mesencephalic DA neurons during development depends largely on excitatory inputs, which may be provided in part by tachykinins.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is not protective against selective dopaminergic cell death in vitro

In the present study, we evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), a hematopoietic growth factor in two different culture models in which dopaminergic (DA) neurons die selectively: first, in a culture model in which death of DA neurons occurs spontaneously and second, in a toxin-based paradigm, the in vitro 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium model of PD. In neither of the two models, a treatment with G-CSF, could prevent or halt the progressive neurodegeneration. However, we cannot rule out that G-CSF might exert neuroprotective or even deleterious effects in in vivo models of PD, based on the significant increase in the number of microglial cells observed after G-CSF treatment.

Rescue of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in culture by low-level stimulation of voltage-gated sodium channels

We used a model system in which dopaminergic (DA) neurons from embryonic rat mesencephalon undergo spontaneous and selective degeneration as they develop in culture. Here, we show that DA cell loss can be prevented efficiently by low concentrations of the Na+ channel agonist veratridine. The survival promoting effect of veratridine was reproduced by, but independent of, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. Neuroprotection by veratridine was exquisitely specific to DA neurons, short-lived after withdrawal, and abolished by tetrodotoxin, indicating that activation of voltage-gated Na+ channels was crucially involved. Calcium measurements showed that veratridine-induced Na+ influx was necessary to maintain intracellular Ca2+ within a neuroprotective range through the stimulation of low-voltage activated T-type calcium channels, a mechanism that was distinct from that elicited by high K+-evoked depolarization. Interestingly, increasing neuronal excitability by treatment with apamin, an inhibitor of Ca2+-activated K+ channels, or with ouabain, a blocker of the Na+/K+-ATPase pump, was also neuroprotective by a mechanism involving T-type calcium channel activation. These results support the idea that mesencephalic DA neurons depend primarily on excitatory input for their survival during development.

The mitochondrial complex I inhibitor annonacin is toxic to mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by impairment of energy metabolism

The death of dopaminergic neurons induced by systemic administration of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I inhibitors such as 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+); given as the prodrug 1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) or the pesticide rotenone have raised the question as to whether this family of compounds are the cause of some forms of Parkinsonism. We have examined the neurotoxic potential of another complex I inhibitor, annonacin, the major acetogenin of Annona muricata (soursop), a tropical plant suspected to be the cause of an atypical form of Parkinson disease in the French West Indies (Guadeloupe). When added to mesencephalic cultures for 24 h, annonacin was much more potent than MPP(+) (effective concentration [EC(50)]=0.018 versus 1.9 microM) and as effective as rotenone (EC(50)=0.034 microM) in killing dopaminergic neurons. The uptake of [(3)H]-dopamine used as an index of dopaminergic cell function was similarly reduced. Toxic effects were seen at lower concentrations when the incubation time was extended by several days whereas withdrawal of the toxin after a short-term exposure (<6 h) arrested cell demise. Unlike MPP(+) but similar to rotenone, the acetogenin also reduced the survival of non-dopaminergic neurons. Neuronal cell death was not excitotoxic and occurred independently of free radical production. Raising the concentrations of either glucose or mannose in the presence of annonacin restored to a large extent intracellular ATP synthesis and prevented neuronal cell demise. Deoxyglucose reversed the effects of both glucose and mannose. Other hexoses such as galactose and fructose were not protective. Attempts to restore oxidative phosphorylation with lactate or pyruvate failed to provide protection to dopaminergic neurons whereas idoacetate, an inhibitor of glycolysis, inhibited the survival promoting effects of glucose and mannose indicating that these two hexoses acted independently of mitochondria by stimulating glycolysis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that annonacin promotes dopaminergic neuronal death by impairment of energy production. It also underlines the need to address its possible role in the etiology of some atypical forms of Parkinsonism in Guadeloupe.

Prevention of dopaminergic neuronal death by cyclic AMP in mixed neuronal/glial mesencephalic cultures requires the repression of presumptive astrocytes

Cyclic AMP-elevating agents are highly effective in preventing the loss of dopaminergic neurons that occurs spontaneously in neuronal-glial mesencephalic cultures. We demonstrate here that cAMP causes a concomitant decline in the number of dividing non-neuronal cells, suggesting that inhibition of proliferation contributes to neuroprotection. Consistent with this hypothesis, a transient treatment with the antimitotic cytosine arabinoside, at concentrations that induce long-term repression of glial cell proliferation, mimicked the neuroprotective action of cAMP and also obviated the need for the cyclic nucleotide. Treatment with cAMP-elevating agents reduced the population of OX-42-positive microglial cells and the number of immature astrocytes expressing vimentin and low levels of the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein. The effect on the immature astrocytes, however, seemed essential for neuroprotection. Ciliary neurotrophic factor and leukemia inhibitory factor, which stimulate astrocyte differentiation without reducing cell proliferation, failed to reproduce the protective effects of the cyclic nucleotide. Cyclic AMP did not operate by counteracting the action of the astrocyte mitogen epidermal growth factor or by reducing activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. The neuroprotective and antiproliferative actions of cAMP, however, were closely mimicked by olomoucine and roscovitine, potent inhibitors of the cyclin-dependent kinase CDK1 that are structurally related to cAMP. Measurement of CDK1 activity confirmed that neuroprotection was closely correlated with inhibition of this kinase by cAMP. In summary, neuroprotection of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by cAMP most probably requires the repression of presumptive astrocytes through inhibition of CDK1.

N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors contribute to the maintenance of dopaminergic neurons in rat midbrain slice cultures

Excitatory neuronal activity produces beneficial influences on neuronal survival under several circumstances. We show that cultivation of rat midbrain slices in the presence of elevated extracellular Mg(2+) resulted in a marked decrease in the number of dopaminergic neurons. The effect was prominent when Mg(2+) was added to the medium during the first week of cultivation. Chronic treatment with antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors such as 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid, MK-801 and ifenprodil also resulted in a marked loss of dopaminergic neurons, whereas nicotinic receptor antagonists showed no effect. The effect of MK-801 was abolished by chronic depolarization by elevated extracellular K(+), or by application of forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Thus, tonic activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors driven by neuronal activity may play an important role in the maintenance of dopaminergic neurons.

Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK(1/2)) signaling pathway by cyclic AMP potentiates the neuroprotective effect of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline on dopaminergic neurons

We have shown previously that low concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) confer long-term but partial protection to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH(+)) dopaminergic neurons by reducing spontaneously occurring oxidative stress. We demonstrate here that the effect of NA is strongly enhanced by cAMP-elevating agents, in particular forskolin (FK), through a mechanism that does not involve activation of adrenoceptors. FK also enhanced the neuroprotective action of antioxidants that mimic the trophic effects of NA, such as trolox and pyrocatechol, but was totally ineffective by itself, suggesting that inhibition of oxidative stress was a required step to reveal the cAMP-dependent mechanism. Neuroprotection afforded by FK was rapidly reversible, optimal when the treatment was initiated in the early phase of the culture and exquisitely specific to dopaminergic neurons. FK stimulated the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-activated kinases (ERK)(1/2) in a subpopulation of dopaminergic neurons, suggesting that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was involved in the effects of cAMP-elevating agents. Accordingly, inhibition of the upstream kinases of ERK(1/2) by 2'-amino-3'-methoxyflavone (PD98059) not only suppressed MAPK activation caused by FK but also abolished the survival promoting activity that this compound exerts on TH(+) neurons. PD98059 did not reduce, however, the trophic effects provided by NA alone. Surprisingly, the archetypal cAMP-dependent protein kinase was apparently not responsible for ERK(1/2) activation. The data suggest that the MAPK signaling pathway plays a key role in the trophic effects that cAMP elevating agents and NA cooperatively exert on TH(+) neurons.

Effect of chronic treatment with riluzole on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in weaver mutant mice

The effects of a chronic treatment with the anti-glutamate and sodium channel modulating neuroprotective agent riluzole on the degeneration of dopamine-containing neurons were studied in the brain of weaver mutant mice. In these animals, as in Parkinson's disease, dopaminergic neurons of the nigro-striatal pathway undergo spontaneous and progressive cell death. Homozygous weaver mice were orally treated twice a day with either 8 mg/kg riluzole or placebo for 2 months. Quantification of tyrosine-hydroxylase and dopamine-transporter axonal immunostaining in the striatum revealed that riluzole significantly increased the density of striatal dopaminergic nerve terminals. These results suggest that riluzole protects dopaminergic processes in the weaver mice and/or promotes their neuroplasticity.