[The changes of striatal dopamine levels in the brain in rat models for Parkinson's disease after gene therapy].
OBJECTIVE
To examine the levels of striatal dopamine and metabolic products in rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) by intracerebral grafting of the genetically modified muscle cells expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).


METHODS
The levels of striatal dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid in the striatum of rat models for PD were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The tests were done in 2, 4, 12, 20 and 23 weeks after intracerebral transplantation of cultared muscle cells (myotubes) expressing TH gene.


RESULTS
The levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the striatum increased significantly after transplantation of TH-expressed cultured muscle cells. For example, striatal dopamine level increased from 30.53 pg/mg to 876.25 pg/mg in brain tissue at 12 weeks after grafting. The striatal dopamine level was the highest at this time and then decreased gradually. In the control that received transplantation of muscle cells expressing LacZ gene, the striatal dopamine level showed no changes before and after grafting.


CONCLUSIONS
The transplantation of TH gene-expressed cultured muscle cells is useful in the treatment of PD rat model, because it can increase striatal dopamine level.
Tong
H
H
Beijing Institute for Neurosciences, Capital University of Medical Sciences.
Zhang
J
J
Xu
Q
Q
D000818:Animals; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000096:biosynthesis
D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine