title: Electrophysiology and pharmacology of striatal neuronal dysfunction induced by mitochondrial complex I inhibition.
abstract: Reduced activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and in particular of complex I is implicated not only in the etiology of Parkinson's disease but also in other forms of parkinsonism in which striatal neurodegeneration occurs, such as progressive supranuclear palsy. The pesticide rotenone inhibits mitochondrial complex I and reproduces features of these basal ganglia neurological disorders in animal models. We have characterized the electrophysiological effects of rotenone in the striatum as well as potential neuroprotective strategies to counteract the detrimental effects of this neurotoxin. We found that rotenone causes a dose-dependent and irreversible loss of the corticostriatal field potential amplitude, which was related to the development of a membrane depolarization/inward current in striatal spiny neurons, coupled to an increased release of both excitatory amino acids and dopamine (DA). In particular, we have investigated whether glutamate, DA, and GABA systems might represent possible targets for neuroprotection against rotenone-induced striatal neuronal dysfunction. Interestingly, whereas modulation of glutamatergic transmission was not neuroprotective, blockade of D(2)-like but not D(1)-like DA receptors significantly reduced the rotenone-induced effects via a GABA-mediated mechanism. In addition, because antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) modulate multiple transmitter systems, we have analyzed the possible neuroprotective effects of some AEDs against rotenone. We found that carbamazepine, unlike other tested AEDs, exerts a potent neuroprotective action against rotenone-induced striatal neuronal dysfunction. This neuroprotection was observed at therapeutically relevant concentrations requiring endogenous GABA. Differential targeting of GABAergic transmission may represent a possible therapeutic strategy against basal ganglia neurodegenerative disorders involving mitochondrial complex I dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Neurologica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Ospedale S. Maria della Misericordia, 06156 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Belcastro
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tozzi
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Filippo
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tantucci
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siliquini
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Autuori
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Picconi
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Spillantini
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fedele
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pittaluga
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raiteri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calabresi
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D042967:Electron Transport Complex I / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005110:Extracellular Space; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D042541:Intracellular Space; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012402:Rotenone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012402:Rotenone; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D042967:Electron Transport Complex I; D004298:Dopamine