Strain-specific sensitivity to MPTP of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice is age dependent.
Administration of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) to adult (2-month to 4-month-old) male C57BL/6 mice (MPTP-sensitive) is a valuable Parkinson's disease model. At comparable age, other strains, such as BALB/c, are minimally affected by MPTP (MPTP-resistant). However, the maintenance of resistance to MPTP throughout aging in MPTP-resistant strains has not been studied. Here, we show that, as previously reported, 1-month and 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice are least and most sensitive to MPTP, respectively. MPTP, as expected, did not affect the younger (1-month and 3-month-old) BALB/c mice, but it markedly decreased striatal dopamine in the older (10-month and 18-month-old) BALB/c mice. These data suggest that the sensitivity to MPTP is age dependent and that mice from an MPTP-resistant strain lose their resistance as they age.
Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi, USA. filipov@uga.edu
Nikolay M
NM
Filipov
Allison B
AB
Norwood
Shannon C
SC
Sistrunk
D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013045:Species Specificity; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
D015259:Dopamine Agents; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine