Deprenyl increases survival of rat foetal nigral neurones in culture.
To study the potential of L-deprenyl to rescue dopaminergic neurones from natural death in primary cultures, foetal nigral neurones were prepared from the ventral midbrain of 16 day old rat embryos. L-deprenyl, at final concentrations of 0.1, 1 and 10 microM, or vehicle solution was added to the culture medium. The cells were allowed to survive for 1, 5 and 10 days. They were then fixed and stained for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry, with or without histological staining. After 5 and 10 days, deprenyl at 0.1 microM increases the number of TH-positive profiles in treated cultures when compared with controls but the effect was more evident at 1 and 10 microM. This can be interpreted as increased survival of catecholaminergic neurones. We cannot however rule out the possibility that deprenyl stimulates the expression of TH by other neurones.
Roy
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Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Canada.
Bédard
P J
PJ
D000818:Animals; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000502:physiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012642:Selegiline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000201:enzymology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
D002395:Catecholamines; D012642:Selegiline; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine