Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The behavioural and neuropathological impact of intranigral AAV-alpha-synuclein is exacerbated by systemic infusion of the Parkinson's disease-associated pesticide, rotenone, in rats

Mulcahy, Padraig ; O'Doherty, Aideen ; Paucard, Alexia ; O'Brien, Timothy ; Kirik, Deniz LU and Dowd, Eilis (2013) In Behavioural Brain Research 243. p.6-15
Abstract
Despite the widely held belief that Parkinson's disease is caused by both underlying genetics and exposure to environmental risk factors, it is still widely modelled in preclinical models using a single genetic or neurotoxic insult. This single-insult approach has resulted in a variety of models that are limited with respect to their aetiological, construct, face and/or predictive validity. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the interplay between genes and the environment as an alternative approach to modelling Parkinson's disease. To do so, rats underwent stereotaxic surgery for unilateral delivery of the Parkinson's disease-associated gene, alpha-synuclein, into the substantia nigra (using AAV vectors). This was... (More)
Despite the widely held belief that Parkinson's disease is caused by both underlying genetics and exposure to environmental risk factors, it is still widely modelled in preclinical models using a single genetic or neurotoxic insult. This single-insult approach has resulted in a variety of models that are limited with respect to their aetiological, construct, face and/or predictive validity. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the interplay between genes and the environment as an alternative approach to modelling Parkinson's disease. To do so, rats underwent stereotaxic surgery for unilateral delivery of the Parkinson's disease-associated gene, alpha-synuclein, into the substantia nigra (using AAV vectors). This was followed 13 weeks later by subcutaneous implantation of an osmotic minipump delivering the Parkinson's disease-associated pesticide, rotenone (2.5 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for 4 weeks): The effect of the genetic and environmental insults alone or in combination on lateralised motor performance (Corridor, Stepping and Whisker Tests), nigrostriatal integrity (tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry) and alpha-synucleinopathy (alpha-synuclein immunohistochemistry) was assessed. We found that exposing AAV-alpha-synuclein-treated rats to rotenone led to a model in which the classical Parkinson's disease triad of progressive motor dysfunction, nigrostriatal neurodegeneration and alpha-synucleinopathy was evident. However, delivering rotenone systemically was also associated with bilateral motor dysfunction and loss of body weight. Thus, although we have shown that Parkinson's disease can be modelled in experimental animals by combined exposure to both genetic and environmental risk factors, this approach is limited by systemic toxicity of the pesticide rotenone. Direct intracerebral delivery of rotenone may be more useful in longer-term studies as we have previously shown that it overcomes this limitation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Parkinson's disease, Animal models, AAV-alpha-synuclein, Rotenone, Motor, function
in
Behavioural Brain Research
volume
243
pages
6 - 15
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000317543400002
  • scopus:84872532026
  • pmid:23295396
ISSN
0166-4328
DOI
10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.051
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
25b2c1a9-97a1-4392-938f-3f7a1fada3b3 (old id 3853726)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:29:35
date last changed
2022-03-27 08:50:28
@article{25b2c1a9-97a1-4392-938f-3f7a1fada3b3,
  abstract     = {{Despite the widely held belief that Parkinson's disease is caused by both underlying genetics and exposure to environmental risk factors, it is still widely modelled in preclinical models using a single genetic or neurotoxic insult. This single-insult approach has resulted in a variety of models that are limited with respect to their aetiological, construct, face and/or predictive validity. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the interplay between genes and the environment as an alternative approach to modelling Parkinson's disease. To do so, rats underwent stereotaxic surgery for unilateral delivery of the Parkinson's disease-associated gene, alpha-synuclein, into the substantia nigra (using AAV vectors). This was followed 13 weeks later by subcutaneous implantation of an osmotic minipump delivering the Parkinson's disease-associated pesticide, rotenone (2.5 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for 4 weeks): The effect of the genetic and environmental insults alone or in combination on lateralised motor performance (Corridor, Stepping and Whisker Tests), nigrostriatal integrity (tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry) and alpha-synucleinopathy (alpha-synuclein immunohistochemistry) was assessed. We found that exposing AAV-alpha-synuclein-treated rats to rotenone led to a model in which the classical Parkinson's disease triad of progressive motor dysfunction, nigrostriatal neurodegeneration and alpha-synucleinopathy was evident. However, delivering rotenone systemically was also associated with bilateral motor dysfunction and loss of body weight. Thus, although we have shown that Parkinson's disease can be modelled in experimental animals by combined exposure to both genetic and environmental risk factors, this approach is limited by systemic toxicity of the pesticide rotenone. Direct intracerebral delivery of rotenone may be more useful in longer-term studies as we have previously shown that it overcomes this limitation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Mulcahy, Padraig and O'Doherty, Aideen and Paucard, Alexia and O'Brien, Timothy and Kirik, Deniz and Dowd, Eilis}},
  issn         = {{0166-4328}},
  keywords     = {{Parkinson's disease; Animal models; AAV-alpha-synuclein; Rotenone; Motor; function}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{6--15}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Behavioural Brain Research}},
  title        = {{The behavioural and neuropathological impact of intranigral AAV-alpha-synuclein is exacerbated by systemic infusion of the Parkinson's disease-associated pesticide, rotenone, in rats}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.051}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.051}},
  volume       = {{243}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}