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Riluzole neuroprotection in a parkinson’s disease model involves suppression of reactive astrocytosis but not GLT-1 regulation.
Carbone, M. Duty, S. Rattray, Marcus
Carbone, M.
Duty, S.
Rattray, Marcus
Publication Date
2012-04
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© 2012 Carbone et al. Published Open Access by BioMed Central. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
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Abstract
Background: Riluzole is a neuroprotective drug used in the treatment of motor neurone disease. Recent evidence
suggests that riluzole can up-regulate the expression and activity of the astrocyte glutamate transporter, GLT-1.
Given that regulation of glutamate transport is predicted to be neuroprotective in Parkinson’s disease, we tested
the effect of riluzole in parkinsonian rats which had received a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine injection into the
median forebrain bundle.
Results: Rats were treated with intraperitoneal riluzole (4 mg/kg or 8 mg/kg), 1 hour before the lesion then once
daily for seven days. Riluzole produced a modest but significant attenuation of dopamine neurone degeneration,
assessed by suppression of amphetamine-induced rotations, preservation of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neuronal
cell bodies in the substantia nigra pars compacta and attenuation of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase protein loss.
Seven days after 6-hydroxydopamine lesion, reactive astrocytosis was observed in the striatum, as determined by
increases in expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, however the glutamate transporter, GLT-1, which is also expressed in astrocytes was not regulated by the lesion.
Conclusions: The results confirm that riluzole is a neuroprotective agent in a rodent model of parkinson’s disease.
Riluzole administration did not regulate GLT-1 levels but significantly reduced GFAP levels, in the lesioned striatum.
Riluzole suppression of reactive astrocytosis is an intriguing finding which might contribute to the neuroprotective effects of this drug.
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Carbone M, Duty S and Rattray M (2012) Riluzole neuroprotection in a parkinson’s disease model involves suppression of reactive astrocytosis but not GLT-1 regulation. BMC Neuroscience, 13: 38.
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