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Methamphetamine-induced striatal dopamine neurotoxicity and cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression in BALB/c mice
T Kita1, K Shimada, Y Mastunari
1Department of Pharmacology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan. tkita@naramed-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and striatal dopamine (DA) depletion in BALB/cAnNcrj (BALB/c) mice following a neurotoxic dose of methamphetamine (METH) was investigated. METH-treatment (4 mg/kg x 4, 2 h intervals, s.c.) induced a significant hyperthermia and a persistent depletion of striatal DA levels 72 h after the treatment. COX-2, a marker of the cytotoxic effect of inflammation and oxidative stress and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) were significantly induced in the striatum 72 h after the METH-treatment, but not in the hippocampus. These results suggest that COX-2 may participate in METH-induced neurotoxicity in striatum.