title: Effect of chronic treatment with riluzole on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in weaver mutant mice.
abstract: The effects of a chronic treatment with the anti-glutamate and sodium channel modulating neuroprotective agent riluzole on the degeneration of dopamine-containing neurons were studied in the brain of weaver mutant mice. In these animals, as in Parkinson's disease, dopaminergic neurons of the nigro-striatal pathway undergo spontaneous and progressive cell death. Homozygous weaver mice were orally treated twice a day with either 8 mg/kg riluzole or placebo for 2 months. Quantification of tyrosine-hydroxylase and dopamine-transporter axonal immunostaining in the striatum revealed that riluzole significantly increased the density of striatal dopaminergic nerve terminals. These results suggest that riluzole protects dopaminergic processes in the weaver mice and/or promotes their neuroplasticity.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U-289, Hôpital de la Salpétriêre, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Aïcha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Douhou
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Debeir
authors.forename: Mario Gustavo
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Murer
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Noëlle
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dufour
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.forename: Saliha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moussaoui
authors.forename: Georg Andrees
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bohme
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Agid
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raisman-Vozari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D006720:Homozygote; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008818:Mice, Neurologic Mutants; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D019782:Riluzole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013995:Time; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D019782:Riluzole; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine