Norepinephrine loss exacerbates methamphetamine-induced striatal dopamine depletion in mice.
Evidence is accumulating that norepinephrine depletion enhances the neurotoxic effect of the parkinsonism inducing neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). In this study we investigated whether norepinephrine loss potentiates methamphetamine-induced striatal dopamine depletion. Injection of C57BL/6N mice with methamphetamine (2 x 5 mg/kg i.p., at 2-h intervals) produced only a partial (50%) striatal dopamine depletion 7 days after drug administration. Pretreatment with the selective noradrenergic neurotoxin N-(-2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4; 50 mg/kg i.p.) enhanced methamphetamine-induced striatal dopamine depletion by 86%, without decreasing striatal dopamine levels when injected alone. Our results extend previous findings obtained with the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetra-hydropyridine in DSP-4-pretreated mice.
D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D012701:Serotonin; D008694:Methamphetamine; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine