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L-Theanine Decreases Orofacial Dyskinesia Induced by Reserpine in Rats

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Abstract

Reserpine (RES)-induced orofacial dyskinesia (OD) has been used as an animal model for human tardive dyskinesia (TD) for decades, due to its strong pathophysiological association with striatal oxidative stress and neural cytoarchitecture alteration. L-Theanine (LT), one of the major amino acid components in green tea, has potent antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. In this study, we examined the potential protective effects of LT on RES-induced behavioral and neurochemical dysfunction in rats. RES treatment (1 mg/kg s.c., 3 injections 1 day apart) induced significant increases (p < 0.001) in the frequency of vacuous chewing movements (VCM), tongue protrusion (TP), as well as the duration of facial twitching (FT). LT treatment (100, 300 mg/kg orally for 14 days, starting 10 days before RES injection) was able to prevent most of the RES-induced OD. Moreover, LT treatment reduced the RES-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) production, increased the antioxidation power and catecholamines in the striatum, and significantly reduced the levels of neuroinflammatory and apoptotic markers. Our results indicated that LT was able to counteract the increased oxidative damage, neurotransmitter deficiency, neuroinflammation, and apoptosis induced by RES, and these results have demonstrated the possible neuroprotective effects of LT against RES-induced OD, including antioxidation, neurochemical deficiency prevention, antineuroinflammation, and antiapoptosis. These findings, therefore, suggest a potential role for LT to have a clinically relevant therapeutic effect in delaying or treating human TD.

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Abbreviations

CAT:

catalase

DA:

dopamine

FT:

facial twitching

GSH:

glutathione

IL-6:

interleukin-6

LPO:

lipid peroxidation

MAO:

monoamine oxidase

NE:

norepinephrine

OD:

orofacial dyskinesia

PD:

Parkinson disease

RES:

reserpine

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

LT:

L-theanine

TBARS:

thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance

TD:

tardive dyskinesia

TNF-α:

tumor necrosis factor α

TP:

tongue protrusion

VCM:

vacuous chewing movements

VMAT:

vesicular monoamine transporter

5-HT:

serotonin

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Persistent BioMed Editing services located in Philadelphia, USA, for their valuable editing and proofreading of the current manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by the Yuan-Shan Br. of Taipei Veteran General Hospital (YSVH-10505), Mackay Memorial Hospital (MMH-105-69), and Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital (SKH-8302-104-DR-24).

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Author notes

  1. Yi Chang, Chih-Chuan Yang and Hsiang-Chien Tseng contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yuan-Shan Br. of Taipei Veteran General Hospital, Yilan County, 26604, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Hung-Sheng Soung

  2. Department of Anesthesia, En Chu Kon Hospital, Sanshia District, New Taipei City, 23702, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Mao-Hsien Wang

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Kuo-Chi Chang

  4. Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Taitung Br. of Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taitung, 95054, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Cheng-Neng Chen

  5. Department of Anesthesiology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, B1F., No. 95, Wen-Chang Road, Shih-Lin District, Taipei City, 11101, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Yi Chang & Hsiang-Chien Tseng

  6. Department of Neurosurgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, 10449, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Chih-Chuan Yang

  7. School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 24205, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Hsiang-Chien Tseng

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  1. Hung-Sheng Soung
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Soung, HS., Wang, MH., Chang, KC. et al. L-Theanine Decreases Orofacial Dyskinesia Induced by Reserpine in Rats. Neurotox Res 34, 375–387 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-018-9897-z

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