Amphetamine effects on brain protein structure and oxidative stress as revealed by FTIR microspectroscopy.
Amphetamines are psychostimulants abused by man, that eventually leads to drug dependence. Amphetamine administration to rodents has been shown to provoke significant neurotoxicity involving dopaminergic nerve terminal degeneration. However, little information related to the effect of amphetamines on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and neurotoxicity in brain is currently available. Herein we report the biochemical alterations of lipids and proteins in brain sections from amphetamine-treated rodents using infrared microspectroscopy, immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting. The spectroscopic changes reveal for the first time the formation of beta-sheet-rich proteins in the cortex, but no significant protein alterations are visible in hippocampus region where hydroperoxide concentration is found to be lower relative to cortex. These result suggest that ROS generated by amphetamine-mediated oxidative stress induce formation beta-sheet-rich proteins which can be of amyloid beta-like character.
Rodríguez-Casado
A
A
Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (CSIC), Serrano 121, Madrid, Spain.
Alvarez
I
I
Toledano
A
A
de Miguel
E
E
Carmona
P
P
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D003913:Dextroamphetamine