Effect of cigarette smoke exposure on the binding characteristics of dopamine receptors and transporter in guinea pig brain
Abstract
The dopamine receptors play an important role in the regulation of brain functions such as memory, mood, movement and behavior. These brain functions are lost in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Several epidemiological studies suggest that there is a neuroprotective association between cigarette smoking and various neurological disorders (i.e. AD, PD). In the present study, we examined the effect of cigarette smoke exposure on the binding characteristics of dopamine receptors (D1 and D2) as well as the dopamine transporter (DAT) in a guinea pig model of cigarette smoke exposure. Three‐week‐old guinea pigs were subjected to mainstream (MS) or sham (SH) smoke exposure, generated twice daily from three cigarettes for approximately 7 weeks. The midbrain tissue samples were collected and the binding characteristics of D1 and D2 receptors as well as DAT were analyzed by radioligand binding assay. Smoke exposure caused a significant increase in the binding capacity of D1 receptor and DAT; whereas it caused a significant decrease in the binding capacity of D2 receptors. No significant effect of smoking was noticed on the affinity of any of these parameters. Thus, the increase in the binding capacity of DAT is in line with the expected increase in the dopamine turnover by smoke exposure. (Supported by U.S. Army grant DAMD 17‐03‐2‐ and FAMRI Clinical Innovator Award)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2008
- Source ID
- 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.823.6
Entities
People
- Leah Miller
- Salil K. Das
- Shyamali Mukherjee
Organizations
- Meharry Medical College
- United States Army