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Progressive changes of orexin system in a rat model of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT: Sleep disturbance, which is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks, is frequently observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Loss of orexin neurons in hypothalamus and the resultant decreased level of orexin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) found in narcolepsy patients may also play an essential role in the pathogenesis of sleep disturbance. The present study aimed to investigate the possible changes in the orexin system during PD progression.After the establishment of a rat PD model by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the medial forebrain bundle, the numbers of orexin-A- and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons, and the levels of orexin-A fibers and orexin-A in CSF were examined by immunohistochemistry and ELISA assay, respectively.Compared to the TH-containing neurons that exhibited fast degeneration in response to 6-OHDA, orexin-A-containing neurons were less sensitive to 6-OHDA. The number of orexin-A-positive neurons began to decrease at day 21 after operation, and at day 49, it decreased by 30% of the initial level. The orexin-A level in CSF of PD rats did not show any obvious fluctuations compared to the control, and there was no obvious reduction in the density of orexin-A-positive fibers in brain areas such as tuberomammillary nucleus.These results reveal for the first time the dynamic changes of orexin system during the progression of PD. This may provide valuable information for drug development to reverse the loss of orexin neurons and sleep disturbance in PD patients.

SUBMITTER: Cui LB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5552601 | biostudies-other | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Dopamine loss beyond the mesostriatal system might be relevant in pathogenic mechanisms and some clinical manifestations in PD. The primate thalamus is densely and heterogeneously innervated with dopaminergic axons, most of which express the dopamine transporter, as does the nigrostriatal system. We hypothesized that dopamine depletion may be present in the thalamus of the parkinsonian brain and set out to ascertain possible regional differences. METHODS:The toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine was administered to adult macaque monkeys using a slow intoxication protocol. The treated macaques were classified into 2 groups according to their motor status: nonsymptomatic and parkinsonian. Dopamine innervation was studied with immunohistochemistry for the dopamine transporter. Topographic maps of the dopamine transporter-immunoreactive axon distribution were generated and the total length and length density of these axons stereologically estimated using a 3-dimensional fractionator. RESULTS:Parkinsonian macaques exhibited lower dopamine transporter-immunoreactive axon length density than controls in mediodorsal and centromedian-parafascicular nuclei. Dopamine denervation in the mediodorsal nucleus was already noticeable in nonsymptomatic macaques and was even greater in parkinsonian macaques. Reticular nucleus dopamine transporter-immunoreactive axon length density presented an inverse pattern, increasing progressively to the maximum density seen in parkinsonian macaques. No changes were observed in ventral thalamic nuclei. Dopamine transporter-immunoreactive axon maps supported the quantitative findings. CONCLUSIONS:Changes in the dopamine innervation of various thalamic nuclei are heterogeneous and start in the premotor parkinsonian stage. These changes may be involved in some poorly understood nonmotor manifestations of PD. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Project description:The development of effective neuroprotective therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD) has been severely hindered by the notable lack of an appropriate animal model for preclinical screening. Indeed, most models currently available are either acute in nature or fail to recapitulate all characteristic features of the disease. Here, we present a novel progressive model of PD, with behavioural and cellular features that closely approximate those observed in patients. Chronic exposure to dietary phytosterol glucosides has been found to be neurotoxic. When fed to rats, ?-sitosterol ?-d-glucoside (BSSG) triggers the progressive development of parkinsonism, with clinical signs and histopathology beginning to appear following cessation of exposure to the neurotoxic insult and continuing to develop over several months. Here, we characterize the progressive nature of this model, its non-motor features, the anatomical spread of synucleinopathy, and response to levodopa administration. In Sprague Dawley rats, chronic BSSG feeding for 4 months triggered the progressive development of a parkinsonian phenotype and pathological events that evolved slowly over time, with neuronal loss beginning only after toxin exposure was terminated. At approximately 3 months following initiation of BSSG exposure, animals displayed the early emergence of an olfactory deficit, in the absence of significant dopaminergic nigral cell loss or locomotor deficits. Locomotor deficits developed gradually over time, initially appearing as locomotor asymmetry and developing into akinesia/bradykinesia, which was reversed by levodopa treatment. Late-stage cognitive impairment was observed in the form of spatial working memory deficits, as assessed by the radial arm maze. In addition to the progressive loss of TH+ cells in the substantia nigra, the appearance of proteinase K-resistant intracellular ?-synuclein aggregates was also observed to develop progressively, appearing first in the olfactory bulb, then the striatum, the substantia nigra and, finally, hippocampal and cortical regions. The slowly progressive nature of this model, together with its construct, face and predictive validity, make it ideal for the screening of potential neuroprotective therapies for the treatment of PD.

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Progressive changes of orexin system in a rat model of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinson's disease.

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