title: Effects of MPTP and vitamin E treatments on immune function in mice.
abstract: The effects of treatment with the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and vitamin E, an antioxidant, on immune functions were examined. Male C57/B1 mice were fed daily with natural vitamin E for 12 weeks, subsequently injected i.p. with MPTP or its vehicle, and sacrificed 1 week later. Control mice received the stripped corn oil vehicle daily, in place of vitamin E. Oral vitamin E feeding increased cerebral vitamin E content by 60% (P = 0.05). However, MPTP attenuated this rise in cerebral vitamin E content when measured 1 week after treatment with the neurotoxin (P = 0.05). MPTP also produced an 80-90% reduction in striatal dopamine content in both the stripped corn oil control group and the vitamin E-treated group (P = 0.0000). One week after MPTP injection, the numbers of peripheral blood lymphocytes and the percent of spleen T-cells, but not B-cells, were decreased in those groups receiving MPTP alone or MPTP plus vitamin E (P less than 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). The Con A-induced IL-2 production of spleen cells was decreased in all treated groups (P less than 0.005). There was no difference in the mitogenic stimulative response to PHA, Con A or LPS. However, the response to PWM was increased in both MPTP and MPTP plus vitamin E-treated groups (P less than 0.05 and 0.001, respectively). On the other hand, the one-way mixed lymphocyte response of the splenocytes from the MPTP-treated group was increased (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City 37614.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Daigneault
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kostrzewa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D020267:MPTP Poisoning; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D014810:Vitamin E; D004298:Dopamine