An organotypic culture model to study nigro-striatal degeneration

Fabio Cavaliere; Edurne San Vicente; Carlos Matute

doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.02.008

An organotypic culture model to study nigro-striatal degeneration

J Neurosci Methods. 2010 May 15;188(2):205-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.02.008. Epub 2010 Feb 11.

Authors

Fabio Cavaliere¹, Edurne San Vicente, Carlos Matute

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neuroscience and CIBERNED, Vizcaya Technology Park, Neurotek-UPV/EHU, E-48170 Zamudio, Vizcaya, Spain. fabio.cavaliere@ciberned.es

PMID: 20153372
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.02.008

Abstract

Functional and reliable in vitro models of Parkinson's disease (PD) are valuable for studying mechanisms of dopaminergic degeneration before proceeding to animal testing. At present, all in vitro models involve substitute cell types and thus their direct relevance to PD is questionable. Here, we describe an organotypic culture model which conserves the 3D architecture of the nigro-striatal pathway, together with the subventricular zone and cerebral cortex, and recapitulates a specific pattern of dopaminergic degeneration which is the principal hallmark of PD. The organotypic culture is kept in vitro for up to 12 days and dopaminergic degeneration is induced by the simple cutting of dopaminergic fibers. This organotypic model represents a rapid and useful method (30 min/pup for preparation and up to 12 days of cultivation) to investigate in vitro the mechanisms underlying neuronal death and protection, as well as neurogenesis and repair after nigro-striatal neurodegeneration.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Newborn
Antiparkinson Agents / pharmacology
Axotomy / methods
Cell Proliferation / drug effects
Corpus Striatum / metabolism
Corpus Striatum / pathology
Corpus Striatum / physiopathology*
Dopamine / metabolism
Microdissection / methods
Nerve Degeneration / metabolism
Nerve Degeneration / pathology
Nerve Degeneration / physiopathology*
Nerve Growth Factors / pharmacology
Nerve Regeneration / drug effects
Nerve Regeneration / physiology
Neural Pathways / metabolism
Neural Pathways / pathology
Neural Pathways / physiopathology
Neurogenesis / drug effects
Neurogenesis / physiology
Organ Culture Techniques / methods
Parkinson Disease / drug therapy
Parkinson Disease / pathology
Parkinson Disease / physiopathology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Stem Cells / cytology
Stem Cells / drug effects
Stem Cells / metabolism
Substantia Nigra / metabolism
Substantia Nigra / pathology
Substantia Nigra / physiopathology*
Time Factors

Substances

Antiparkinson Agents
Nerve Growth Factors
Dopamine