Pleiotrophin over-expression provides trophic support to dopaminergic neurons in parkinsonian rats.

TARAVINI IR; CHERTOFF M; CAFFERATA E; COURTY J; MURER MG; PITOSSI F; GERSHANIK OS

MOLECULAR NEURODEGENERATION

BIOMED CENTRAL LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2011 vol. 6 p. 40 - 51

1750-1326

Background Pleiotrophin is known to promote the survival and differentiation of dopaminergic neurons in vitro and is up-regulated in the substantia nigra of Parkinson´s disease patients. To establish whether pleiotrophin has a trophic effect on nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in vivo, we injected a recombinant adenovirus expressing pleiotrophin in the substantia nigra of 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. Results The viral vector induced pleiotrophin over-expression by astrocytes in the substantia nigra pars compacta, without modifying endogenous neuronal expression. The percentage of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cells as well as the area of their projections in the lesioned striatum was higher in pleiotrophin-treated animals than in controls. Conclusions These results indicate that pleiotrophin over-expression partially rescues tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cell bodies and terminals of dopaminergic neurons undergoing 6-hydroxydopamine-induced degeneration.