In the present study we investigated the interplay between matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3) and NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1) in the process of dopamine (DA) neuronal death. We found that MMP3 activation causes the induction of Nox1 via mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and subsequently Rac1 activation, eventually leading to Nox1-derived superoxide generation in a rat DA neuronal...

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder where the main hallmark is the dopaminergic neuronal loss. Besides motor symptoms, PD also causes cognitive decline. Although current therapies focus on the restoration of dopamine levels in the striatum, prevention or disease-modifying therapies are urgently needed. Valproic acid (VA) is a wide spectrum antiepileptic drug, exerting many bioch...

Resveratrol, herbal nonflavonoid polyphenolic compound naturally derived from grapes, has long been acknowledged to possess extensive biological and pharmacological properties including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ones and may exert a neuroprotective effect on neuronal damage in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undefined. In the present study...

To investigate the role of brain catecholamines in the development of spontaneous hypertension, rats were treated with different doses of the neurotoxins 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or DSP-4 (N-[2-chloroethyl]-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride). Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) 6-OHDA attenuated the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and also lowered the ...

Aim: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons resulting in deterioration motor activity patients. Currently, available therapies including Levodopa (L-DOPA) are more geared toward treatment symptoms. Therefore, developing effective neuroprotective needed. Valproic acid (VPA) has shown potent effects on dopamine (DA) various brain regions. The aim...

We have shown that buspirone, a partial agonist of 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT1A) receptors, improves motor dysfunctions induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and haloperidol in rats. The present work extends these findings by investigating the role of 5-HT1A receptors on catalepsy-like immobilization in rats, a model of Parkinson’s disease. Catalepsy was induced by unilateral infusion of 6-OH...

Previously, we reported that RTP801, a stress regulated protein, is induced in multiple cellular models of Parkinson's disease (PD), in an animal model of PD and in dopaminergic neurons of PD patients. In cellular PD models, RTP801 is both sufficient and necessary for death. We further showed that RTP801 and PD mimetics such as 6-OHDA trigger neuron death by suppressing activation of the key ki...

INTRODUCTION The neuroprotective role of opioid morphine against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced cell death has been demonstrated. However, the exact mechanism(s) underlying such neuroprotection, especially the role of subtype receptors, has not yet been fully clarified. METHODS Here, we investigated the effects of different opioid agonists on 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-...