Markers associated with testosterone enhancement of methamphetamine-induced striatal dopaminergic neurotoxicity.

Markers associated with testosterone enhancement of methamphetamine-induced striatal dopaminergic neurotoxicity.

Buletko A Blake; Dluzen Dean E; McDermott Janet L; Darvesh Altaf S; Geldenhuys Werner J

Neurotoxicology and teratology

2012

2012-06

Intact male CD-1 mice received an injection of testosterone propionate (TP–5 ug), progesterone (P–5 mg), the oil vehicle or remained untreated (control). At 24 hours after hormonal treatments the mice received an injection of methamphetamine (MA–40 mg/kg) and rectal temperatures were measured. At 5 days post-MA, assays were performed to assess effects of these treatments. Maximal increases in body temperatures, that were significantly greater than oil-treated controls, were obtained in TP-treated mice. At 5 days post-MA, maximal weight reductions were obtained with TP-treated mice, while P-treated mice showed no significant decrease between the pre- versus post-MA determinations. Striatal dopamine concentrations showed maximal reductions and heat-shock protein-70 maximal increases in the TP group, with both differing significantly as compared with all other groups. Protein levels of dopamine transporters were significantly decreased in P-treated mice, while vesicular monoamine transporter-2 was significantly decreased in TP-treated mice. Taken together, these results suggest that testosterone exacerbates the deleterious effects of MA within male mice as indicated by a number of markers related to neurotoxicity. The changes in markers as associated with this enhanced neurotoxicity suggest that TP may increase thermal/energy responses and/or oxidative stress to produce this effect.

Animals; Biomarkers/metabolism; Blotting; Body Temperature/drug effects; Body Weight/drug effects; Corpus Striatum/*drug effects/metabolism; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism; Dopamine/*metabolism; Drug Synergism; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism; Inbred Strains; Male; Methamphetamine/*toxicity; Mice; Neurotoxicity Syndromes/*etiology/metabolism; Oxidative Stress/drug effects; Testosterone Propionate/*pharmacology; Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins/metabolism; Western

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