Effects of MPTP and Vitamin E Treatments on Immune Function in Mice

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1992

Description

The effects of treatment with the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and vitamin E, an antioxidant, on immune functions were examined. Male C57/Bl mice were fed daily with natural vitamin E for 12 weeks, subsequently injected i.p. with MPTP or its vehicle, and sacrificed 1 week later. Control mice received the stripped corn oil vehicle daily, in place of vitamin E. Oral vitamin E feeding increased cerebral vitamin E content by 60% (P = 0.05). However, MPTP attenuated this rise in cerebral vitamin E content when measured 1 week after treatment with the neurotoxin (P = 0.05). MPTP also produced an 80 - 90% reduction in striatal dopamine content in both the stripped corn oil control group and the vitamin E-treated group (P = 0.0000). One week after MPTP injection, the numbers of peripheral blood lymphocytes and the percent of spleen T-cells, but not B-cells, were decreased in those groups receiving MPTP alone or MPTP plus vitamin E (P<0.05 and 0.02, respectively). The Con A-induced IL-2 production of spleen cells was decreased in all treated groups (P<0.005). There was no difference in the mitogenic stimulative response to PHA, Con A or LPS. However, the response to PWM was increased in both MPTP and MPTP plus vitamin E-treated groups (P<0.05 and 0.001, respectively). On the other hand, the one-way mixed lymphocyte response of the splenocytes from the MPTP-treated group was increased (P<0.01). These results indicate that MPTP exhibits an inhibitory effect on T-cells and modulates certain proliferative responses of immune cells, and that long-term intragastric administration of vitamin E exerts no measured protection against these acute toxicities produced by MPTP.

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