title: Inhibitors of p38 MAP kinase increase the survival of transplanted dopamine neurons.
abstract: Fetal cell transplantation therapies are being developed for the treatment of a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease [10-12,21,22,24,36,43]. Massive apoptotic cell death is a major limiting factor for the success of neurotransplantation. We have explored a novel protein kinase pathway for its role in apoptosis of dopamine neurons. We have discovered that inhibitors of p38 MAP kinase (the pyridinyl imidazole compounds: PD169316, SB203580, and SB202190) improve survival of rat dopamine neurons in vitro and after transplantation into hemiparkinsonian rats. In embryonic rat ventral mesencephalic cultures, serum withdrawal led to 80% loss of dopamine neurons due to increased apoptosis. Incubation of the cultures with p38 MAP kinase inhibitors at the time of serum withdrawal prevented dopaminergic cell death by inhibiting apoptosis. In the hemiparkinsonian rat, preincubation of ventral mesencephalic tissue with PD169316 prior to transplantation accelerated behavioral recovery and doubled the survival of transplanted dopamine neurons. We conclude that inhibitors of stress-activated protein kinases improve the outcome of cell transplantation by preventing apoptosis of neurons after grafting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Zawada
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Meintzer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marotti
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Esplen
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Clarkson
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Freed
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Heidenreich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005333:Fetus; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007093:Imidazoles; D011725:Pyridines; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C408604:2-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(4-pyridinyl)-1H-imidazole; C093642:SB 203580; C090942:4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)imidazole; D004298:Dopamine