Progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons induced by inflammatory responses to fipronil

- FPN induces dopaminergic neuron damage in substantia nigra of rats.
- FPN induces increase of GFAP expression.
- Inflammation mediates FPN-induced dopaminergic neuron damage.
- Microglia activation involves in dopaminergic neuronal damage in the FPN-infused SN.

Inflammatory responses are involved in mechanisms of neuronal cell damage in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the mechanisms whereby inflammatory responses contribute to loss of dopaminergic neurons in fipronil (FPN)-treated rats. After stereotaxic injection of FPN in the substantia nigra (SN), the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons and the levels of TH expression in the SN decreased at 7 days, and a significant decrease was observed at 14 days with a subsequent reduction in striatal TH expression. Decreases in dopamine (DA) levels, however, began at 3 days post-injection, preceding the changes in TH expression. In contrast, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression was significantly increased at 3 days and persisted for up to 14 days post-lesion; these changes in GFAP expression appeared to be inversely correlated with TH expression. Furthermore, we found that FPN administration induced an inflammatory response characterized by increased levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which was mediated by activated microglia following infusion of FPN unilaterally into the SN. Intranigral injection of FPN underwent an inflammatory response with a resultant ongoing loss of dopaminergic neurons, indicating that pesticides may have important implication for the study of PD.