Skip to main content
Log in

Restoration of Parkinson’s Disease-Like Deficits by Activating Autophagy through mTOR-Dependent and mTOR-Independent Mechanisms in Pharmacological and Transgenic Models of Parkinson’s Disease in Mice

  • Published:
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Aims and scope

We studied the possibilities of inhibition of neurodegeneration in MPTP-induced model of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in C57Bl/6J mice and transgenic model of early PD stage (5-monthold B6.Cg-Tg(Prnp-SNCA*A53T)23Mkle/J mice) by autophagy activation through mTOR-dependent and mTOR-independent pathways with rapamycin and trehalose, respectively. Therapy with autophagy inducers in a “postponed” mode (7 days after MPTP intoxication) restored the expression of the dopaminergic neuron marker tyrosine hydroxylase and markedly improved cognitive function in the conditioned passive avoidance response (CPAR; fear memory). The transgenic model also showed an increase in the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the nigrostriatal system of the brain. An enhanced therapeutic effect of the combined treatment with the drugs was revealed on the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, but not in the CPAR test. Thus, activation of both pathways of autophagy regulation in PD models with weakened neuroinflammation can restore the dopaminergic function of neurons and cognitive activity in mice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hsieh MH, Gu SL, Ho SC, Pawlak CR, Lin CL, Ho YJ, Lai TJ, Wu FY. Effects of MK-801 on recognition and neurodegeneration in an MPTP-induced Parkinson’s rat model. Behav. Brain Res. 2012;229(1):41-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.035

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Korolenko TA, Shintyapina AB, Belichenko VM, Pupyshev AB, Akopyan AA, Fedoseeva LA, Russkikh GS, Vavilin VA, Tenditnik MV, Lin CL, Amstislavskaya TG, Tikhonova MA. Early Parkinson’s Disease-Like Pathology in a Transgenic Mouse Model Involves a Decreased Cst3 mRNA Expression But Not Neuroinflammatory Response in the Brain. Med. University. 2020;3(2):66-78. https://doi.org/10.2478/medu-2020-0008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lin CH, Wei PC, Chen CM, Huang YT, Lin JL, Lo YS, Lin JL, Lin CY, Wu YR, Chang KH, Lee-Chen GJ. Lactulose and Melibiose Attenuate MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease in Mice by Inhibition of Oxidative Stress, Reduction of Neuroinflammation and Up-Regulation of Autophagy. Front. Aging Neurosci. 2020;12:226. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2020.00226

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Liu K, Shi N, Sun Y, Zhang T, Sun X. Therapeutic effects of rapamycin on MPTP-induced Parkinsonism in mice. Neurochem. Res. 2013;38(1):201-207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-012-0909-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Machado V, Zöller T, Attaai A, Spittau B. Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Neurotrophic Factor-Induced Protection in the MPTP Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease-Lessons from Transgenic Mice. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2016;17(2):151. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17020151

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Moors TE, Hoozemans JJ, Ingrassia A, Beccari T, Parnetti L, Chartier-Harlin MC, van de Berg WD. Therapeutic potential of autophagy-enhancing agents in Parkinson’s disease. Mol. Neurodegener. 2017;12(1):11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-017-0154-3

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Pupyshev AB, Korolenko TA, Akopyan AA, Amstislavskaya TG, Tikhonova MA. Suppression of autophagy in the brain of transgenic mice with overexpression of А53Т-mutant α-synuclein as an early event at synucleinopathy progression. Neurosci. Lett. 2018;672:140-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2017.12.001

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Pupyshev AB, Tikhonova MA, Akopyan AA, Tenditnik MV, Dubrovina NI, Korolenko TA. Therapeutic activation of autophagy by combined treatment with rapamycin and trehalose in a mouse MPTP-induced model of Parkinson’s disease. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 2019;177:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2018.12.005

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Sarkar S. Regulation of autophagy by mTOR-dependent and mTOR-independent pathways: autophagy dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases and therapeutic application of autophagy enhancers. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 2013;41(5):1103-1130. https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20130134

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Sarkar S, Chigurupati S, Raymick J, Mann D, Bowyer JF, Schmitt T, Beger RD, Hanig JP, Schmued LC, Paule MG. Neuroprotective effect of the chemical chaperone, trehalose in a chronic MPTP-induced Parkinson’s disease mouse model. Neurotoxicology. 2014;44:250-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2014.07.006

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sarkar S, Davies JE, Huang Z, Tunnacliffe A, Rubinsztein DC. Trehalose, a novel mTOR-independent autophagy enhancer, accelerates the clearance of mutant huntingtin and alpha-synuclein. J. Biol. Chem. 2007;282(8):5641-5652. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M609532200

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Sarkar S, Krishna G, Imarisio S, Saiki S, O’Kane CJ, Rubinsztein DC. A rational mechanism for combination treatment of Huntington’s disease using lithium and rapamycin. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2008;17(2):170-178. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddm294

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Schmeisser K, Parker JA. Pleiotropic Effects of mTOR and Autophagy During Development and Aging. Front. Cell. Dev. Biol. 2019;7:192. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2019.00192

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Streit WJ, Xue QS, Tischer J, Bechmann I. Microglial pathology. Acta Neuropathol. Commun. 2014;2:142. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-014-0142-6

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. B. Pupyshev.

Additional information

Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 171, No. 4, pp. 429-435, April, 2021

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pupyshev, A.B., Tenditnik, M.V., Ovsyukova, M.V. et al. Restoration of Parkinson’s Disease-Like Deficits by Activating Autophagy through mTOR-Dependent and mTOR-Independent Mechanisms in Pharmacological and Transgenic Models of Parkinson’s Disease in Mice. Bull Exp Biol Med 171, 425–430 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-021-05242-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-021-05242-z

Key Words

Navigation