title: Minocycline protects dopaminergic neurons against long-term rotenone toxicity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Parkinson's disease, most of current therapies only provide symptomatic treatment and so far there is no drug which directly affects the disease process.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the neuroprotective effects of minocycline against long-term rotenone toxicity in primary dopaminergic cell cultures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Embryonic mice of 14-days-old were used for preparation of primary dopaminergic cell cultures. On the 6th day in vitro, prepared cultures were treated both with minocycline alone (1, 5, 10 and 20 microM) and concomitantly with rotenone (5 and 20 nM) and minocycline. Cultures were incubated at 37 degrees C for six consecutive days. On Day in vitro culture medium was aspirated and used for measuring lactate dehydrogenase. Cultured cells were fixed in 4% paraformaldhyde and stained immunohistochemically against tyrosine hydroxylase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment of cultures with 5 and 20 nM of rotenone significantly decreased the survival of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons by 27 and 31% and increased the release of lactate dehydrogenase into the culture medium by 31 and 236%, respectively compared to untreated controls. Minocycline (1, 5, 10 microM) significantly protected tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons by 17, 15 and 19% and 13, 22 and 23% against 5 and 20 nM of rotenone, respectively compared to rotenone-treated cultures. Minocycline (only at 10 microM) significantly decreased the release of lactate dehydrogenase by 79% and 133% against 5 and 20 nM of rotenone, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minocycline has neuroprotective potential against the progressive loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons induced by long-term rotenone toxicity in primary dopaminergic cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Radad
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moldzio
authors.forename: Wolf-Dieter
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Rausch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D006836:Hydro-Lyases / Q000378:metabolism; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008911:Minocycline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012402:Rotenone / Q000633:toxicity*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012402:Rotenone; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D006836:Hydro-Lyases; C045581:lactate dehydratase; D008911:Minocycline; D004298:Dopamine