No adverse effects of cyclosporin A on cellular and functional development of foetal rat dopaminergic mesencephalic neurones grafted into the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Earl, Christopher D. | Frodl, Eva M. | Pupeter, Sigrid C.^; | Oertel, Wolfgang H.^; | Kupsch, Andreas^;

Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany | Institute of Physiology, Pettenkoferstrasse 12, 80336 Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany

Note: [] Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 89 5996 258; Fax: +49 89 5996 216.

Abstract: This study investigated the potential neurotoxic effects of cyclosporin A (CyA) on allogeneic foetal rat ventral mesencephalic (VM) grafts in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease. Despite its use in the clinical neural grafting situation, the safety of the CyA treatment concerning graft survival and function has not been demonstrated in systematical animal studies. Three groups of grafted rats were treated with either 10 or 20 mg/kg cylcosporin A daily for 6 weeks. Analysis of graft function and development within the different immunosuppression regimes showed no significant differences between any parameters assessed (rotational behaviour and graft survival). It is concluded that high doses of cyclosporin A do not adversely influence survival and function of rat-to-rat foetal allogeneic VM grafts.

Keywords: Cyclosporin A, Parkinson's disease, Foetal ventral mesencephalon, Rat, Neural grafting, Immunosuppression

DOI: 10.3233/RNN-1994-7101

Journal: Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1-4, 1994