The 6-hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD)-bradykinesia, akinesia, and tremor at rest-are consequences of the neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and dopaminergic striatal deficit. Animal models have been widely used to simulate human pathology in the laboratory. Rodents are the most used animal models for PD due to their ease of handling and maintenance. Moreover, the anatomy and molecular, cellular, and pharmacological mechanisms of PD are similar in rodents and humans. The infusion of the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), into a medial forebrain bundle (MFB) of rats reproduces the severe destruction of dopaminergic neurons and simulates PD symptoms. This protocol demonstrates how to perform the unilateral microinjection of 6-OHDA in the MFB in a rat model of PD and shows the motor deficits induced by 6-OHDA and predicted dopaminergic lesions through the stepping test. The 6-OHDA causes significant impairment in the number of steps performed with the contralateral forelimb.

Rating L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesias in the Unilaterally 6-OHDA-Lesioned Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias (LIDs) refer to motor complications that arise from prolonged L-DOPA administration to patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The most common pattern observed in the clinic is the peak-dose dyskinesia which consists of clinical manifestations of choreiform, dystonic, and ballistic movements. The 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD mimics several characteristics of LIDs. After repeated L-DOPA administration, 6-OHDA-lesioned rats exhibit dyskinetic-like movements (e.g., abnormal involuntary movements, AIMs). This protocol demonstrates how to induce and analyze AIMs in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats with 90%-95% dopaminergic depletion in the nigrostriatal pathway. Repeated administration (3 weeks) of L-DOPA (5 mg/kg, combined with 12.5 mg/kg of benserazide) can induce the development of AIMs. The time course analysis reveals a significant increase in AIMs at 30-90 min (peak-dose dyskinesia). Rodent models of LIDs are an important preclinical tool to identify effective antidyskinetic interventions.

Repurposing an established drug: an emerging role for methylene blue in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

The nitric oxide (NO) system has been proven to be a valuable modulator of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinsonian rodents. NO activates the enzyme soluble guanylyl cyclase and elicits the synthesis of the second-messenger cGMP. Although we have previously described the anti-dyskinetic potential of NO synthase inhibitors on L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, the effect of soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitors remains to be evaluated. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the clinically available non-selective inhibitor methylene blue, or the selective soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ (1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one), could mitigate L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. Here, we demonstrated that methylene blue was able to reduce L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia incidence when chronically co-administered with L-DOPA during 3 weeks. Methylene blue chronic (but not acute) administration (2 weeks) was effective in attenuating L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in rats rendered dyskinetic by a previous course of L-DOPA chronic treatment. Furthermore, discontinuous methylene blue treatment (e.g., co-administration of methylene blue and L-DOPA for 2 consecutive days followed by vehicle and L-DOPA co-administration for 5 days) was effective in attenuating dyskinesia. Finally, we demonstrated that microinjection of methylene blue or ODQ into the lateral ventricle effectively attenuated L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Taken together, these results demonstrate an important role of NO-soluble guanylyl cyclase-cGMP signaling on L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. The clinical implications of this discovery are expected to advance the treatment options for patients with Parkinson's disease.

Effects of prolonged neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibition on the development and expression of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats.

It is well known that nitric oxide (NO) interacts with dopamine (DA) within the striatal circuitry. The anti-dyskinetic properties of NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors demonstrate the importance of NO in L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia (LID). Here, we investigated the ability of a daily co-treatment of the preferential neuronal NOS (nNOS) inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI, 30 mg/kg), with L-DOPA (30 mg/kg) to counteract LID in unilaterally 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. We analyzed striatal nNOS-expressing interneurons, DA and 5-HT neurochemistry in the striatum and alterations of the Fos-B/ΔFosB expression in the corticostriatal, nigrostriatal and mesolimbic pathways. Prolonged administration of 7-NI inhibited the manifestation of chronic L-DOPA treatment-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs). LID was associated with an up-regulation in the number of nNOS-expressing interneurons in the lateral but not medial striatum. nNOS inhibition reduced the number of nNOS-expressing interneurons. The anti-dyskinetic effects of 7-NI correlated with a reduction in DA and 5-HT turnover in the striatum. At postsynaptic striatal sites, 7-NI prevented L-DOPA-induced Fos-B/ΔFosB up-regulation in the motor cortex, nucleus accumbens and striatum. Finally, 7-NI blocked Fos-B/ΔFosB expression in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d)-positive interneurons in the striatum. These results provide further evidence of the molecular mechanisms by which NOS-inhibiting compounds attenuate LID. The involvement of NO with DA and 5-HT neurochemistry may contribute to the understanding of this new, non-dopaminergic therapy for the management of LID.

Counteraction by nitric oxide synthase inhibitor of neurochemical alterations of dopaminergic system in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats under L-DOPA treatment.

Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors reduce L-3, (Del-Bel et al., Cell Mol Neurobiol 25(2):371-392, 2005) 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA)-induced abnormal motor effects subsequent to depletion of dopaminergic neurons in rodents and non-human primates. The present study used quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze, for the first time, dopamine metabolism in striatum of rats in order to elucidate the mechanism of action of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors. Adult male Wistar rats received unilateral microinjection of saline (sham) or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA-lesioned) in the medial forebrain bundle. Past 3 weeks, rats were treated during 21 days with L-DOPA/benserazide (30 mg/kg/7.5 mg/kg, respectively, daily). On the 22nd day rats received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of either vehicle or 7-nitroindazole, a preferential neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor before L-DOPA. Abnormal involuntary movements and rotarod test were assessed as behavioral correlate of motor responses. Lesion intensity was evaluated through tyrosine hydroxylase immunohystochemical reaction. Dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and an extent of dopamine striatal tissue levels/dopamine metabolism were measured in the striatum. Lesion with 6-OHDA decreased dopamine, DOPAC, and DOPAC/dopamine ratio in the lesioned striatum. L-DOPA treatment induced abnormal involuntary movements and increased DOPAC/dopamine ratio (nearly five times) in the lesioned striatum. L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia was mitigated by 7-nitroindazole, which also decreased dopamine turnover, dopamine and DOPAC levels. Our results revealed an almost two times increase in dopamine content in the non-lesioned striatum of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Reduction of striatal DOPAC/dopamine ratio in dyskinetic rats may suggest an increase in the dopamine availability. Our data confirm contribution of nitrergic transmission in the pathogenesis of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia with potential utilization of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors for treatment.

Anti-dyskinetic effect of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor is linked to decrease of FosB/deltaFosB expression.

Rodents with lesion of dopaminergic pathway when receiving repeated l-3,4-dihydroxiphenylalanine (l-DOPA) treatment develop abnormal involuntary movements called dyskinesia. We demonstrated that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors mitigate l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in rodents. The aim of the present study was to verify if the in vivo preferential neuronal NOS (nNOS) inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) affect the expression of the transcription factor FosB/ΔFosB in the lesioned striatum, an indicator of neuronal activity associated with dyskinesia. Male Wistar rats with unilateral microinjection (medial forebrain bundle) of either the neurotoxin 6-hydroxidopamine (6-OHDA; n=4-6/group) or saline (sham; n=6/group) were provided with l-DOPA (30mg/kg plus benserazide 7.5mg/kg/day, oral gavage), once a day during 22 days. 6-OHDA-lesioned animals developed abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) classified as axial, limb, orofacial and locomotive dyskinesia and presented FosB/ΔFosB increase in the dopamine-depleted striatum. Administration of 7-NI (30mg/kg, i.p.), 30min prior to l-DOPA reduced the severity of AIMs (≈65% for axial, limb and orofacial and 74% for locomotive AIMs scores), without interfering with the rotarod performance. Simultaneously, 7-NI attenuated the expression of FosB/ΔFosB in dopamine-depleted striatum (≈65% in medial and ≈54% in lateral striatum, bregma 0.48mm). FosB/ΔFosB expression in lateral striatum was correlated with l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. The findings described here corroborate a new approach to the management of l-DOPA-therapy in Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment.

Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor Improves De Novo and Long-Term l-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia in Hemiparkinsonian Rats.

Inhibitors of neuronal and endothelial nitric oxide synthase decrease l-3,4-dihidroxifenilalanine (l-DOPA)-induced dyskinesias in rodents. The mechanism of nitric oxide inhibitor action is unknown. The aims of the present study were to investigate the decrease of l-DOPA-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats by nitric oxide inhibitors following either acute or chronic treatment. The primary findings of this study were that NG-nitro-l-Arginine, an inhibitor of endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase, attenuated AIMs induced by chronic and acute l-DOPA. In contrast, rotational behavior was attenuated only after chronic l-DOPA. The 6-OHDA lesion and the l-DOPA treatment induced a bilateral increase (1.5 times) in the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) protein and nNOS mRNA in the striatum and in the frontal cortex. There was a parallel increase, bilaterally, of the FosB/ΔFosB, primarily in the ipsilateral striatum. The exception was in the contralateral striatum and the ipsilateral frontal cortex, where chronic l-DOPA treatment induced an increase of approximately 10 times the nNOS mRNA. Our results provided further evidence of an anti-dyskinetic effect of NOS inhibitor. The effect appeared under l-DOPA acute and chronic treatment. The l-DOPA treatment also revealed an over-expression of the neuronal NOS in the frontal cortex and striatum. Our results corroborated findings that l-DOPA-induced rotation differs between acute and chronic treatment. The effect of the NOS inhibitor conceivably relied on the l-DOPA structural modifications in the Parkinsonian brain. Taken together, these data provided a rationale for further evaluation of NOS inhibitors in the treatment of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

Role of nitric oxide in motor control: implications for Parkinson's disease pathophysiology and treatment.

According to classical thinking about Parkinson's disease, loss of dopaminergic input from the substantia nigra pars compacta leads to overactivity and underactivity of the indirect and direct output pathways, respectively, in the basal ganglia. Administration of the dopamine precursor L-DOPA (l-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) is proposed to induce changes in the opposite directions. L-DOPA is the most used drug to treat Parkinson`s disease symptoms. After repeated treatment with this compound, however, disabling secondary effects such as the abnormal involuntary movements usually appear. Nitric oxide is a free radical that can also act as an atypical neurotransmitter and influences dopamine-mediated neurotransmission. In this paper we will briefly review the role of nitric oxide on motor control and in Parkinson's disease, particularly a possible role of nitric oxide in L-DOPA induced dyskinesia in rodents. Recent results show that nitric oxide synthase inhibition reduces L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in rats and mice. The effect is dose-dependent, does not suffer tolerance nor interferes with L-DOPA positive motor effects. These preclinical findings suggest that nitric oxide is a promising therapeutic target for the reduction of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.