Levodopa toxicity in foetal rat midbrain neurones in culture: modulation by ascorbic acid.
Levodopa, a dopamine (DA) precursor administered to patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), produces at 25-200 x 10(-6) M concentrations a dose-dependent reduction of 3H-DA uptake in foetal rat midbrain cultures. Also, a decrease in the number of viable cells and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurones, plus disruption of the overall neuritic network are observed concurrently with an elevation of quinone levels in the culture medium. Ascorbic acid (AA), which abolished the quinone overproduction, partially prevented these effects. Though levodopa neurotoxicity in vivo is as yet unproven, AA may reduce vulnerability of endogenous or grafted DA neurones in patients with PD.
Departamento de Investigación, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
M A
MA
Mena
B
B
Pardo
C L
CL
Paino
J G
JG
De Yebenes
D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007980:Levodopa / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats
D007980:Levodopa; D001205:Ascorbic Acid