Dopamine and to a much greater extent, 6-hydroxydopamine reduced the growth of the mouse neuroblastoma cell population in vitro but did not induce morphological differentiation. The growth inhibition at a lower drug concentration was primarily due to inhibition of cell multiplication, which was reversible. L-Dopa, norepinephrine, epinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, or homovanillic acid...

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to exert trophic effects on dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in young rat. Since the degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons that occurs in Parkinson's disease is more often than not confined to elderly individuals, it is of interest to determine whether the effects of BDNF against 6 hydroxydopamine (6-...

BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The dopamine precursor, levodopa, remains the most effective and common treatment for this disorder. However, long-term administration of levodopa is known to induce characteristic dyskinesia, and molecular mechanisms underlying dyskinesia are poorly understood. METHO...