Pleiotrophin over-expression rescues dopaminergic neurons in parkinsonian rats

TARAVINI IR; CHERTOFF, MARIELA; CAFFERATA E; COURTY JOSÉ; MURER MG; FERNANDO J. PITOSSI,; GERSHANIK OS

MOLECULAR NEURODEGENERATION

BIOMED CENTRAL LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2011 vol. 6 p. 40 - 52

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 expressingpleiotrophin 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 incontrols.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.