Protection by synergistic effects of adenovirus-mediated X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor gene transfer in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine model of Parkinson's disease
O. Eberhardt et al., Protection by synergistic effects of adenovirus-mediated X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor gene transfer in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine model of Parkinson's disease, J NEUROSC, 20(24), 2000, pp. 9126-9134
1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) produces clinical, bioc
hemical, and neuropathological changes reminiscent of those occurring in id
iopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we show that a peptide caspase inhi
bitor, N-benzyloxycarbonyl- val-ala-asp-fluoromethyl ketone, or adenoviral
gene transfer (AdV) of a protein caspase inhibitor, X-chromosome-linked inh
ibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), prevent cell death of dopaminergic substantia n
igra pars compacta (SNpc) neurons induced by MPTP or its active metabolite
1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium in vitro and in vivo. Because the MPTP-induced
decrease in striatal concentrations of dopamine and its metabolites does no
t differ between AdV-XIAP- and control vector-treated mice, this protection
is not associated with a preservation of nigrostriatal terminals. In contr
ast, the combination of adenoviral gene transfer of XIAP and of the glial c
ell line-derived neurotrophic factor to the striatum provides synergistic e
ffects, rescuing dopaminergic SNpc neurons from cell death and maintaining
their nigrostriatal terminals. These data suggest that a combination of a c
aspase inhibitor, which blocks death, and a neurotrophic factor, which prom
otes the specific function of the rescued neurons, may be a promising strat
egy for the treatment of PD.