title: Evidence of active microglia in substantia nigra pars compacta of parkinsonian monkeys 1 year after MPTP exposure.
abstract: Inflammatory changes have been found in Parkinson's disease, in humans intoxicated with the parkinsonian toxin MPTP, and in animal models of the disease. However, it is still not known whether inflammatory changes are responsible for active nerve cell death or if they have a protective role against neurodegeneration. In this study, we analyzed the glial reaction in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the striatum of monkeys rendered parkinsosian by chronic MPTP injections. At postmortem examination 1 year after the last MPTP injection, the density of astroglial cells and activated microglial cells in the SNpc, but not in the striatum, of MPTP-intoxicated animals was significantly higher than in the two control animals. These data suggest that neurodegeneration was still active despite the absence of the agent triggering cell death and that the glial reaction is associated with long-term neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Neurology and Neurosurgery Group, Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain. barcia@um.es
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barcia
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez Bahillo
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández-Villalba
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bautista
authors.forename: Máximo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poza Y Poza
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Barreiro
authors.forename: Etienne C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: María-Trinidad
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Herrero
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D015415:Biomarkers; D064026:Calbindins; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005911:Gliosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000378:metabolism; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013995:Time; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D064026:Calbindins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine