title: Retinal cholinergic and dopaminergic deficits of aged rats are improved following treatment with GM1 ganglioside.
abstract: Selected cholinergic and dopaminergic markers were compared in the retina of aged (20-22-months-old) and young (3-months-old) rats before and after treatment with GM1 ganglioside. The dopaminergic markers, tyrosine hydroxylase, aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid were comparable in the young and aged animals and GM1 treatment did not alter them. In contrast, mazindol binding, a marker for the dopamine transporter, was diminished in the aged retina and treatment with GM1 restored binding to values found in the young animals. The cholinergic markers choline acetyltransferase and hemicholinium-3 binding, a marker for the high-affinity choline transport, were depressed in aged rats and GM1 corrected the deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Goettl
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wemlinger
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hadjiconstantinou
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001142:Aromatic-L-Amino-Acid Decarboxylases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006426:Hemicholinium 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; C065637:choline transporter; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D006426:Hemicholinium 3; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D001142:Aromatic-L-Amino-Acid Decarboxylases; D004298:Dopamine