Protection of dopamine neurons by CDNF and neurturin variant N4 against MPP.sup.+ in dissociated cultures from rat mesencephalon

Parkinson's disease is associated with the loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in ventral mesencephalon. We have previously reported that no single neurotrophic factor we tested protected DA neurons from the dopaminergic toxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP.sup.+) in dissociated cultures isolated from the P0 rat substantia nigra, but that a combination of five neurotrophic factors was protective. We now report that cerebral DA neurotrophic factor (CDNF) and a variant of neurturin (NRTN), N4, were also not protective when provided alone but were protective when added together. In cultures isolated from the substantia nigra, MPP.sup.+ (10 [mu]M) decreased tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells to 41.7 ± 5.4% of vehicle control. Although treatment of cultures with 100 ng/ml of either CDNF or N4 individually before and after toxin exposure did not significantly increase survival in MPP.sup.+ -treated cultures, when the two trophic factors were added together at 100 ng/ml each, survival of cells was increased 28.2 ± 6.1% above the effect of MPP.sup.+ alone. In cultures isolated from the ventral tegmental area, another DA rich area, a higher dose of MPP.sup.+ (1 mM) was required to produce an EC.sub.50 in TH-positive cells but, as in the substantia nigra, only the combination of CDNF and N4 (100 ng/ml each) was successful at increasing the survival of these cells compared to MPP.sup.+ alone (by 22.5 ± 3.5%). These data support previous findings that CDNF and N4 may be of therapeutic value for treatment of PD, but suggest that they may need to be administered together.