[Protective effects of uric acid on nigrostriatal system injury induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the protective effects of uric acid on nigrostriatal system injury induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in rats.


METHODS
Thirty male SD rats were divided into four groups. Uric acid of 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg were injected intraperitoneally (ip) into 5, 10, 5 rats twice daily at a 2-hour interval for five days and saline was injected ip into 10 rats as controls. At Day 6, 6-hydroxydopamine was injected into striatum to establish Parkinson's disease (PD) model in rats. Then uric acid was injected ip into three groups and saline into controls for five days. Locomotion test, amphetamine-induced rotation and forepaw adjusting step test were performed at Weeks 3 and 4 respectively after injection of 6-hydroxydopamine. HPLC-MS/MS was performed to detect the contents of dopamine and its metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) in striatum at Week 5.


RESULTS
The scores of locomotion in 2 minutes of 200 mg/kg uric acid group (14 +/- 4/2 min) was higher significantly than saline group (4 +/- 5/2 min, P < 0.01). The amphetamine-induced rotation number in the 200 mg/kg uric acid group (10.8 +/- 7.5) was lower significantly that in the saline group (19.3 +/- 5.2, P < 0.01). Forepaw adjusting step test scores of 200 mg/kg uric acid group were higher significantly than those in the saline group (9.89 +/- 3.41 vs 4.36 +/- 3.72, P < 0.01). HPLC-MS/MS showed that the contents of DA (0.29 +/- 0.19) and HVA (1.22 +/- 0.5) in injured striatum of 200 mg/kg uric acid group were higher significantly than those in the saline group (0.05 +/- 0.03, P < 0.01; 0.24 +/- 0.13, P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
An appropriately elevated level of uric acid may protect the dopamine neuron of nigrostriatal system from injury of 6-hydroxydopamine in rats.
Wang
Li-jun
LJ
Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, China.
Luo
Wei-feng
WF
Wang
Heng-hui
HH
Ni
Gui-hua
GH
Ye
Yan
Y
Li
Dan
D
Liu
Chun-feng
CF
D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006892:Hydroxydopamines / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D014527:Uric Acid