Exacerbation of Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity in Cold and Hot Environments: Neuroprotective Effects of an Antioxidant Compound H-290/51

Mol Neurobiol. 2015 Oct;52(2):1023-33. doi: 10.1007/s12035-015-9252-9. Epub 2015 Jun 26.

Abstract

In this study, we examined the influence of cold and hot environments on methamphetamine (METH) neurotoxicity in both drug-naive rats and animals previously exposed to different types of nanoparticles (NPs). Since METH induces oxidative stress, we also examined how a potential chain-breaking antioxidant H-290/51 (Astra-Zeneca, Mölndal, Sweden) affects METH-induced neurotoxicity. Exposure of drug-naive rats to METH (9 mg/kg, s.c.) at 4, 21, or 34 °C for 3 h resulted in breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), brain edema, and neuronal injuries, which all differed in severity depending upon ambient temperatures. The changes were moderate at 21 °C, 120-180 % larger at 34 °C, and almost absent at 4 °C. In rats chronically treated with NPs (SiO2, Cu, or Ag; 50-60 nm, 50 mg/kg, i.p. for 7 days), METH-induced brain alterations showed a two- to fourfold increase at 21 °C, a four- to sixfold increase at 34 °C, and three- to fourfold increase at 4 °C. SiO2 exposure showed the most pronounced METH-induced brain pathology at all temperatures followed by Ag and Cu NPs. Pretreatment with a potent antioxidant compound H-290/51 (50 mg/kg, p.o., 30 min before METH) significantly reduced brain pathology in naive animals exposed to METH at 21 and 34 °C. In NPs-treated animals, however, attenuation of METH-induced brain pathology occurred only after repeated exposure of H-290/51 (-30 min, 0 min, and +30 min). These observations are the first to show that NPs exacerbate METH-induced brain pathology in both cold and hot environments and demonstrate that timely intervention with antioxidant H-290/51 could have neuroprotective effects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology
  • Antioxidants / therapeutic use*
  • Astrocytes / drug effects
  • Blood-Brain Barrier / drug effects
  • Body Temperature
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / pathology
  • Brain Edema / chemically induced*
  • Brain Edema / pathology
  • Cold Temperature / adverse effects*
  • Coloring Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Copper / toxicity*
  • Drug Synergism
  • Evans Blue / pharmacokinetics
  • Hemodynamics / drug effects
  • Hot Temperature / adverse effects*
  • Indoles / pharmacology
  • Indoles / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Methamphetamine / toxicity*
  • Nanoparticles / toxicity*
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / ultrastructure
  • Neuroprotective Agents / pharmacology
  • Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Permeability / drug effects
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Silicon Dioxide / toxicity*
  • Silver / toxicity*
  • Skin Temperature

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Coloring Agents
  • H290-51
  • Indoles
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • Silver
  • Methamphetamine
  • Evans Blue
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Copper