Minocycline enhances MPTP toxicity to dopaminergic neurons

Minocycline has been shown previously to have beneficial effects against ischemia in rats as well as neuroprotective properties against excitotoxic damage in vitro, nigral cell loss via 6‐hydroxydopamine, and to prolong the life‐span of transgenic mouse models of Huntington's disease (HD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We investigated whether minocycline would protect against toxic effects of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), a toxin that selectively destroys nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons and produces a clinical state similar to Parkinson's disease (PD) in rodents and primates. We found that although minocycline inhibited microglial activation, it significantly exacerbated MPTP‐induced damage to DA neurons. We present evidence suggesting that this effect may be due to inhibition of DA and 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpridium (MPP+) uptake into striatal vesicles. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.