A nitric oxide synthase inhibitor decreases 6-hydroxydopamine effects on tyrosine hydroxylase and neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the rat nigrostriatal pathway

Autor(es)

Gomes‚ M.Z. ; Raisman-Vozari‚ R. ; Del Bel‚ E.A.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Brain Research; v. 1203, p. 160-169, 2008.

Resumo

There is evidence that nitric oxide plays a role in the neurotransmitter balance within the basal ganglia and in the pathology of Parkinson's disease. In the present work we investigated in striatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned rats the effects of a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG), given systemically on both the dopaminergic (DA) neuronal loss and the neuronal NOS cell density. We analyzed the DA neuronal loss through tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry (TH). The nitrergic system was evaluated using an antibody against the neuronal NOS (nNOS) isoform. Treatment with the L-NOARG significantly reduced 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic damage in the dorsal striatum, ventral substantia nigra and lateral globus pallidus, but had no effects in the dorsal substantia nigra and in the cingulate cortex. Furthermore, L-NOARG reduced 6-OHDA-induced striatal increase, and substantia nigra compacta decrease, in the density of neuronal nitric oxide synthase positive cells. These results suggest that nitric oxide synthase inhibition may decrease the toxic effects of 6-OHDA on dopaminergic terminals and on dopamine cell bodies in sub-regions of the SN and on neuronal nitric oxide synthase cell density in the rat brain. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 02/13197-2 - Participação do glutamato e óxido nítrico na fisiopatogenia de distúrbios neuropsiquiátricos
• Beneficiário: Francisco Silveira Guimaraes
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 01/14612-0 - A lesao unilateral pela aplicacao de 6-hidroxidopamina no feixe prosencefalico medial e o sistema do oxido nitrico.
• Beneficiário: Margarete Zanardo Gomes
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado