Protection of the aged substantia nigra of the rat against oxidative damage by (-)-deprenyl.
1. We have studied the effect of (-)-deprenyl on the oxidative damage that the rat substantia nigra suffers during aging. 2. (-)-Deprenyl (2 mg kg-1, three times a week) administered for two months, beginning at 22 months of age, produced a significant increase in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity (2.67 +/- 0.40 and 3.64 +/- 0.38 nmol mg-1 protein h-1 in untreated aged rats and treated aged rats respectively, P < 0.05) and in TH amount (0.072 +/- 0.012 and 0.128 +/- 0.38 absorbance 405 nm in untreated aged and treated aged rats respectively, P < 0.05). 3. The proteins of aged rat substantia nigra showed a significant decrease of carbonyl groups in treated animals compared with saline-injected control rats (136.2 +/- 21.8 and 71.5 +/- 13.2 c.p.m. microgram-1 protein in untreated aged and treated aged rats respectively, P < 0.05). 4. The carbonyl groups measured in TH enzyme showed a statistically significant decrease (42.3%) after (-)-deprenyl treatment (471.4 +/- 73.0 and 271.9 +/- 50.00 c.p.m. in untreated aged and treated aged rats respectively, P < 0.001). 5. All these results suggest that oxidative damage produced during aging is prevented by (-)-deprenyl treatment and could explain the effect of this drug in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
de la Cruz
C P
CP
Departamento de Bioquímica, Bromatología y Toxicología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
Revilla
E
E
Steffen
V
V
Rodríguez-Gómez
J A
JA
Cano
J
J
Machado
A
A
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012642:Selegiline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000032:analysis
D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D012642:Selegiline; D014443:Tyrosine; D004298:Dopamine