title: Intrastriatal infusion of liver growth factor stimulates dopamine terminal sprouting and partially restores motor function in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats.
abstract: Liver growth factor (LGF) is a mitogen for liver cells that shows biological activity in extrahepatic sites and may be useful for neuroregenerative therapies. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of the intrastriatal (IS) infusion of LGF in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease. Tyrosine hydroxylase-positive innervation was significantly increased in the dopamine-denervated striatum of rats receiving intrastriatal LGF infusions (160 ng/day/rat x 15 days) as compared with a vehicle-infused group. There was no evidence of dopaminergic neurogenesis in the striatum or substantia nigra in any experimental group at the times studied. However, in those animals undergoing IS-LGF infusion for 48 hr, we found a significant increase in both microglial proliferation and in the number of microglial cells that acquired the ameboid morphology. This is characteristic of activated microglia/macrophages that has been reported to play an important role in dopamine terminal sprouting. In summary, our study shows that IS infusion of LGF stimulates the outgrowth of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive terminals in the striatum of 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats. As apomorphine-induced rotational behavior was also reduced in these animals, we propose LGF as a novel factor that, when delivered to the striatum, may be useful in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurobiología, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, 28034 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reimers
authors.forename: Antonio S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Herranz
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Díaz-Gil
authors.forename: María Val T
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Lobo
authors.forename: Carlos L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Paíno
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Asensio
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonzalo-Gobernado
authors.forename: Eulalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bazán
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D016627:Oxidopamine; D010302:Parkinson Disease, Secondary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000075462:Serum Albumin, Human; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances; D012709:Serum Albumin; C053498:albumin-bilirubin complex; D016627:Oxidopamine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D001663:Bilirubin; D004298:Dopamine; D000075462:Serum Albumin, Human