title: Manganese inhalation as a Parkinson disease model.
abstract: The present study examines the effects of divalent and trivalent Manganese (Mn(2+)/Mn(3+)) mixture inhalation on mice to obtain a novel animal model of Parkinson disease (PD) inducing bilateral and progressive dopaminergic cell death, correlate those alterations with motor disturbances, and determine whether L-DOPA treatment improves the behavior, to ensure that the alterations are of dopaminergic origin. CD-1 male mice inhaled a mixture of Manganese chloride and Manganese acetate, one hour twice a week for five months. Before Mn exposure, animals were trained to perform motor function tests and were evaluated each week after the exposure. By the end of Mn exposure, 10 mice were orally treated with 7.5 mg/kg L-DOPA. After 5 months of Mn mixture inhalation, striatal dopamine content decreased 71%, the SNc showed important reduction in the number of TH-immunopositive neurons, mice developed akinesia, postural instability, and action tremor; these motor alterations were reverted with L-DOPA treatment. Our data provide evidence that Mn(2+)/Mn(3+) mixture inhalation produces similar morphological, neurochemical, and behavioral alterations to those observed in PD providing a useful experimental model for the study of this neurodegenerative disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neuromorfologia, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM, Avenida de los Barrios 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, 54090 Tlalnepantla, Edo Mex, Mexico.
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ordoñez-Librado
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anaya-Martínez
authors.forename: Ana Luisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gutierrez-Valdez
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colín-Barenque
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montiel-Flores
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Avila-Costa