Publication Type:
Journal ArticleSource:
J Neuroinflammation, Volume 9, p.234 (2012)Keywords:
Analysis of Variance, Animals, Body Weight, Brain, CD4 Antigens, CD8 Antigens, Disease Models, Animal, Dopamine, Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins, Dopaminergic Neurons, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Flow Cytometry, Immune System, Immunoglobulins, Intravenous, Immunologic Factors, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, MPTP Poisoning, Spleen, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory, Tyrosine 3-MonooxygenaseAbstract:
<p>Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a blood-derived product, used for the treatment of immunodeficiency and autoimmune diseases. Since a range of immunotherapies have recently been proposed as a therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease (PD), we investigated the effects of an IVIg treatment in a neurotoxin-induced animal model of PD. Mice received four injections of MPTP (15 mg/kg) at 2-hour intervals followed by a 14-day IVIg treatment, which induced key immune-related changes such as increased regulatory T-cell population and decreased CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio. The MPTP treatment induced significant 80% and 84% decreases of striatal dopamine concentrations (P < 0.01), as well as 33% and 40% reductions in the number of nigral dopaminergic neurons (P < 0.001) in controls and IVIg-treated mice, respectively. Two-way analyses of variance further revealed lower striatal tyrosine hydroxylase protein levels, striatal homovanillic acid concentrations and nigral dopaminergic neurons (P < 0.05) in IVIg-treated animals. Collectively, our results fail to support a neurorestorative effect of IVIg on the nigrostriatal system in the MPTP-treated mice and even suggest a trend toward a detrimental effect of IVIg on the dopaminergic system. These preclinical data underscore the need to proceed with caution before initiating clinical trials of IVIg in PD patients.</p>
