However, recent evidence supports the notion that a subpopulation of activated glial cells may be

deleterious in PD, particularly for highly dysfunctional neurons that are metabolically compromised. Strong support for this hypothesis came from a study of young drug addicts who developed a parkinsonian syndrome after MPTP intoxication.99 In a recent, study, the same authors reported a postmortem neuropathological study of three subjects with MPTP-induced parkinsonism.100 Interestingly, gliosis and clustering of microglial cells around DA neurons were detected, despite survival times ranging from 3 to 16 years. These findings not only indicate Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical an ongoing nerve cell loss after a time -limited insult, but also suggest, that, activated microglial cells may perpetuate neuronal degeneration.

One may thus speculate that after a primary Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical insult of environmental and/or genetic origin, the glial reaction may perpetuate the degeneration of DA neurons. The mechanism by which microglial cells Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical can amplify injury to nigral DA neurons is not yet known. However, the factors involved in this deleterious effect, are very likely cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-α), interlcukin 1β (II-1β), and interferon γ (IFN-γ). Accordingly, several selleck compound studies have reported a marked increase of cytokine levels in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of PD patients.101 In addition, a higher density of glial cells expressing TNF-α, II-1γ, and IFN-γ was observed in the SN of PD patients compared with agematched Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical control subjects.102,103 Some of these cells were close to blood vessels and degenerating DA neurons, suggesting their involvement in the pathophysiology of PD. Two mechanisms, which are not mutually exclusive, may explain the deleterious role of cytokines in the parkinsonian SNpc: Proinflammatory Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cytokines induce the production

of nitric oxide in glial cells.104 TNF-α receptors directly activate DA neurons of the Phosphatidylinositol diacylglycerol-lyase human SN.102 The question of whether inflammation plays a prominent role in PD pathogenesis cannot be resolved by postmortem studies alone, and experimental PD models have much contributed to strengthening this hypothesis, making inflammation a prime candidate for neuroprotective studies in PD patients.98 Importantly, recent primate studies have replicated chronic glial activation in the SNpc following a time-limited MPTP insult105-107 and may thus represent a valuable model to study the long-term consequences of this process. Apoptosis There has been much interest, in whether DA neurons in PD die by apoptosis, necrosis, or some other form of cell death. This is because apoptosis is amenable to pharmacological inhibition and may thus be a therapeutic target in PD.