title: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) such as 17beta-estradiol prevents MPTP-induced dopamine depletion in mice.
abstract: Previous work from our laboratory has shown prevention of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced striatal dopamine (DA) depletion in mice by 17beta-estradiol, progesterone, and raloxifene. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a neurosteroid, was shown to have neuroprotective activities in various paradigms of neuronal death but its effect in vivo in mice on MPTP toxicity has not been reported. We investigated the effects of 17beta-estradiol (2 microg/day) and DHEA (3 mg/day) for 5 days before and after an acute treatment of four MPTP (10 mg/kg) injections in male C57Bl/6 mice. Striatal DA concentrations and its metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured by HPLC. MPTP mice that received 17beta-estradiol or DHEA had striatal DA, DOPAC, and HVA concentrations comparable to intact animals and higher than striatal DA, DOPAC, and HVA levels in saline-MPTP-treated mice. MPTP treatment led to an increase of striatal DA turnover (assessed with the HVA/DA ratio); DHEA and 17beta-estradiol prevented this increase. 17beta-Estradiol did not affect striatal DA and metabolites concentrations in intact mice in this paradigm. Furthermore, in the substantia nigra DHEA and 17beta-estradiol prevented the MPTP-induced dopamine transporter and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA decreases measured by in situ hybridization. Therefore, DHEA such as 17beta-estradiol is active in preventing the catecholamine-depleting effect of MPTP and our results suggest that this involves neuroprotection of DA neurons.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Endocrinology and Oncology Research Center, Laval University Medical Center (CHUL), Quebec, Qc, G1V 4G2, and Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University, Quebec, Qc, G1K 7P4, Canada.
authors.forename: Myreille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Astous
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morissette
authors.forename: Bastien
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tanguay
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Callier
authors.forename: Thérèse
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Di Paolo
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D015259:Dopamine Agents; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid