Loss of striatal dopaminergic fibers after intraventricular injection of tetrahydrobiopterin in rat brain.
We have reported previously that tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), an obligatory cofactor for dopamine synthesis, exerts preferential toxicity on dopamine producing cells. We report in the present study that BH4 injection into the lateral ventricle leads to degeneration of the dopaminergic terminals in the striatum, evidenced by a loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunopositive fibers, a decreased amount of TH protein, and decreased dopamine content. Thus, the results of our study further provide evidence that BH4, the molecule endogenously present in the dopaminergic neurons, may participate in the nigrostriatal degeneration as in Parkinson's disease.
Kim
Sung Tae
ST
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1 Pungnap-dong, Songpa-ku, Seoul, South Korea.
Chang
Jin Woo
JW
Hong
Hea Nam
HN
Hwang
Onyou
O
D000818:Animals; D001708:Biopterins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats
D001708:Biopterins; C003402:sapropterin; D004298:Dopamine