Anti-high mobility group box 1 antibody exerts neuroprotection in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

• We explore the dynamics of HMGB1 on a rat model of PD.
• Anti-HMGB1 Ab exerts neuroprotection for a rat model of PD.
• Anti-HMGB1 mAb suppresses inflammatory responses.
• Anti-HMGB1 mAb attenuates disruption of BBB induced by 6-OHDA.

The high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) exists as an architectural nuclear protein in the normal state, but displays an inflammatory cytokine-like activity in the extracellular space under pathological condition. Inflammation in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been documented. In this study, we investigated the involvement of HMGB1 in the pathology and the neuroprotective effects of neutralizing anti-HMGB1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) on an animal model of PD. Adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were initially injected with 6-hydroxydopmaine (6-OHDA, 20 μg/4 μl) into the right striatum, then anti-HMGB1 mAb (1 mg/kg), or control mAb was intravenously administered immediately, at 6 and 24 h after 6-OHDA injection. The treatment with anti-HMGB1 mAb significantly preserved dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta and dopaminergic terminals inherent in the striatum, and attenuated PD behavioral symptoms compared to the control mAb-treated group. HMGB1 was retained in the nucleus of neurons and astrocytes by inhibiting the proinflammation-induced oxidative stress in the anti-HMGB1 mAb-treated group, whereas HMGB1 translocation was observed in neurons at 1 day and astrocytes at 7 days after 6-OHDA injection in the control mAb-treated group. Anti-HMGB1 mAb inhibited the activation of microglia, disruption of blood–brain-barrier (BBB), and the expression of inflammation cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-6. These results suggested that HMGB1 released from neurons and astrocytes was at least partly involved in the mechanism and pathway of degeneration of dopaminergic neurons induced by 6-OHDA exposure. Intravenous administration of anti-HMGB1 mAb stands as a novel therapy for PD possibly acting through the suppression of neuroinflammation and the attenuation of disruption of BBB associated with the disease.