title: Protective effect of systemic L-kynurenine and probenecid administration on behavioural and morphological alterations induced by toxic soluble amyloid beta (25-35) in rat hippocampus.
abstract: Amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide exerts different toxic effects at a cellular level, including over-activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) and excitotoxicity, synaptic dysfunction and neuronal death. Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is an endogenous antagonist of NMDAr and alpha7 nicotinic receptors. Systemic administrations of both the immediate metabolic precursor of KYNA, L-kynurenine (L-KYN), and a proved inhibitor of KYNA's brain transport, probenecid (PROB), have shown to produce neuroprotective effects in a considerable number of experimental toxic conditions; however, this strategy has not been tested in the toxic model Abeta peptide so far. In this study we evaluated the effects of systemic administration of PROB (50 mg/kg/day for 7 days), L-KYN (75 mg/kg/day for 7 days) and their combination, on behavioural (locomotor activity and spatial memory) and morphological alterations induced by an intrahippocampal infusion of Abeta 25-35 to rats. An additional group was administered with the potent NMDAr antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801, 0.8 mg/kg/day for 7 days) for comparative purposes. A significant improvement of spatial memory was evident in Abeta-lesioned rats since post-lesion day 21 with all treatments tested and this effect was correlated with a reduction of cell damage and a decrease in reactive gliosis in hippocampal CA1 area. Neither L-KYN, nor PROB, or their combination, produced major alterations in motor function when given alone to rats. These results suggest that modulation of NMDAr activity by mean of therapeutic strategies designed to enhance KYNA in the brain may help to counteract neurodegenerative events coursing with Abeta toxicity and excitotoxic patterns.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Aminoácidos Excitadores, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, México DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carrillo-Mora
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Méndez-Cuesta
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pérez-De La Cruz
authors.forename: Teresa I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Fortoul-van Der Goes
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santamaría
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects*; D007737:Kynurenine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000633:toxicity*; D011339:Probenecid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C074636:amyloid beta-protein (25-35); D007737:Kynurenine; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D011339:Probenecid