title: Neurotrophic effects of L-DOPA in postnatal midbrain dopamine neuron/cortical astrocyte cocultures.
abstract: L-DOPA is toxic to catecholamine neurons in culture, but the toxicity is reduced by exposure to astrocytes. We tested the effect of L-DOPA on dopamine neurons using postnatal ventral midbrain neuron/cortical astrocyte cocultures in serum-free, glia-conditioned medium. L-DOPA (50 microM) protected against dopamine neuronal cell death and increased the number and branching of dopamine processes. In contrast to embryonically derived glia-free cultures, where L-DOPA is toxic, postnatal midbrain cultures did not show toxicity at 200 microM L-DOPA. The stereoisomer D-DOPA (50-400 microM) was not neurotrophic. The aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor carbidopa (25 microM) did not block the neurotrophic effect. These data suggest that the neurotrophic effect of L-DOPA is stereospecific but independent of the production of dopamine. However, L-DOPA increased the level of glutathione. Inhibition of glutathione peroxidase by L-buthionine sulfoximine (3 microM for 24 h) blocked the neurotrophic action of L-DOPA. N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (250 microM for 48 h), which promotes glutathione synthesis, had a neurotrophic effect similar to that of L-DOPA. These data suggest that the neurotrophic effect of L-DOPA may be mediated, at least in part, by elevation of glutathione content.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, New York, U.S.A.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Davila
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sulzer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D002230:Carbidopa / Q000494:pharmacology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007980:Levodopa / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D007980:Levodopa; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D005978:Glutathione; D002230:Carbidopa; D004298:Dopamine