title: Neurochemical correlates of differential neuroprotection by long-term dietary creatine supplementation.
abstract: Dietary supplementation with creatine has proven to be beneficial in models of acute and chronic neurodegeneration. We report here data on the neurochemical correlates of differential protection of long-term creatine supplementation in two models of excitotoxicity in rats, as well as in the mouse model for ALS (G93A mice). In rats, the fall in cholinergic and GABAergic markers due to the excitotoxic death of intrinsic neurons caused by intrastriatal infusion of the neurotoxin, ibotenic acid, was significantly prevented by long-term dietary supplementation with creatine. On the contrary, creatine was unable to recover a cholinergic marker in the cortex of rats subjected to the excitotoxic death of the cholinergic basal forebrain neurons. In G93A mice, long-term creatine supplementation marginally but significantly increased mean lifespan, as previously observed by others, and reverted the cholinergic deficit present in some forebrain areas at an intermediate stage of the disease. In both rats and mice, creatine supplementation increased the activity of the GABAergic enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase, in the striatum but not in other brain regions. The present data point at alterations of neurochemical parameters marking specific neuronal populations, as a useful way to evaluate neuroprotective effects of long-term creatine supplementation in animal models of neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peña-Altamira
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crochemore
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Virgili
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contestabile
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D020532:Basal Nucleus of Meynert / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007051:Ibotenic Acid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015996:Survival Rate; D013995:Time; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D009498:Neurotoxins; D007051:Ibotenic Acid; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase; D003401:Creatine; D000109:Acetylcholine