title: Protective effect of talipexole on MPTP-treated planarian, a unique parkinsonian worm model.
abstract: The planarian, a flatworm, has a high potential for regeneration, and dopamine plays a key role in its behavior. Planarians treated with MPTP underwent autolysis and individual death in a concentration-dependent manner. When the planarian body was cut into anterior, middle and posterior pieces, each piece subsequently regenerated and reorganized to form a new individual within approximately 10 days. The anterior piece was significantly more sensitive than the middle and posterior pieces to MPTP cytotoxicity. Concomitant treatment with talipexole, an anti-parkinsonian drug, inhibited MPTP-induced autolysis and individual death in a concentration-dependent manner. Pramipexole showed a similar protective effect. In addition, post-treatment with talipexole at 1 hr after MPTP completely inhibited MPTP-induced individual death. Although MPTP treatment caused 30% of the planarians to undergo autolysis and individual death within 12 hr, post-treatment with talipexole even at 12 hr completely rescued the remaining 70% of the planarians from death. These results suggest that the MPTP-treated planarian may be useful as a novel parkinsonian model in which talipexole has a protective effect even in the case of post-treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kakimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001381:Azepines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010932:Planarians / Q000187:drug effects*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D001381:Azepines; D015259:Dopamine Agents; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; C024763:talipexole; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D004298:Dopamine