Neuronal nicotinic receptor agonists ameliorate spontaneous motor asymmetries and motor discoordination in a unilateral mouse model of Parkinson's disease

The degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system underlies the motor deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD). In recent years, epidemiological reports that smokers have lower incidences of PD have brought attention to the nicotinic acetylcholine system as a potential target for novel therapeutics. Nicotine, an agonist of neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs), modulates functions relevant to PD via stimulation of dopaminergic transmission in the nigrostriatal pathway, particularly via activation of α6β2* and α4β2* NNRs. Recently, reduced support of DA neurons by neurotrophic growth factors has been described in PD. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) is critical for the development and protection of adult DA neurons. In FGF-2 knockout mice and the related th-fgfr1(tk −) mouse model there is heightened sensitivity to DA neuronal oxidative neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). In the present study, FGF-deficient transgenic mice th-fgfr1(tk −) were used to analyze the effects of novel full (TC-8831) and partial (TC-8581) agonists of β2-containing nicotinic receptors on impaired motor behavior following unilateral 6-OHDA lesions. The lesions generated spontaneous (drug-naïve) turning asymmetries that correlated exponentially with the depletion of DA biomarkers in the lesioned striata. These mice also exhibited a reduced capacity to remain on the accelerating rotarod. Oral administration of TC-8831, an NNR agonist with high specificity for β2 subunits and a full agonist at producing DA release from striatal synaptosomes, attenuated unidirectional turning and improved motor coordination. In contrast, partial β2 NNR agonist TC-8581 had no effect on behaviors in this model. This study demonstrates the potential of NNR targeting-compounds to facilitate motor function in PD.