Yes / 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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/7807 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Carbone, M., Duty, S., Rattray, Marcus |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Published version |
| Rights | © 2012 Carbone et al. Published Open Access by BioMed Central. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy., Unspecified |
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