L-DOPA Uptake in Astrocytic Endfeet Enwrapping Blood Vessels in Rat Brain

Astrocyte endfeet surround brain blood vessels and can play a role in the delivery of therapeutic drugs for Parkinson’s disease. However, there is no previous evidence of the presence of LAT transporter forL-DOPA in brain astrocytes except in culture. Using systemicL-DOPA administration and a combination of patch clamp, histochemistry and confocal microscopy we found thatL-DOPA is accumulated mainly in astrocyte cell bodies, astrocytic endfeet surrounding blood vessels, and pericytes. In brain slices: (1) astrocytes were exposed to ASP+, a fluorescent monoamine analog of MPP+; (2) ASP+taken up by astrocytes was colocalized withL-DOPA fluorescence in (3) glial somata and in the endfeet attached to blood vessels; (4) these astrocytes have an electrogenic transporter current elicited by ASP+, but intriguingly not byL-DOPA, suggesting a different pathway for monoamines andL-DOPA via astrocytic membrane. (5) The pattern of monoamine oxidase (MAO type B) allocation in pericytes and astrocytic endfeet was similar to that ofL-DOPA accumulation. We conclude that astrocytes controlL-DOPA uptake and metabolism and, therefore, may play a key role in regulating brain dopamine level during dopamine-associated diseases. These data also suggest that different transporter mechanisms may exist for monoamines andL-DOPA.

Regulatory pathways and uptake ofl-DOPA by capillary cerebral endothelial cells, astrocytes, and neuronal cells

We examined the nature and regulation of the inwardl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) transporter in rat capillary cerebral endothelial (RBE4) cells, type 1 astrocytes (DI TNC1), and Neuro-2a neuroblastoma cells. In all three cell types, the inward transfer of l-DOPA was largely promoted through the 2-aminobicyclo-(2,2,1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid-sensitive and sodium-independent L-type amino acid transporter. Only in DI TNC1 cells was the effect of maneuvers that increase intracellular cAMP levels accompanied by increases inl-DOPA uptake. Also, only in DI TNC1 cells was the effect of the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor LY-83583 accompanied by a 65% increase in l-DOPA accumulation, whereas the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside produced a 25% decrease inl-DOPA accumulation. In all three cell types, the Ca2+/calmodulin inhibitors calmidazolium and trifluoperazine inhibited l-DOPA uptake in a noncompetitive manner. Thapsigargin (1 and 3 μM) and A-23187 (1 and 3 μM) failed to alter l-DOPA accumulation in RBE4 and Neuro-2a cells but markedly increased l-DOPA uptake in DI TNC1cells. We concluded that l-DOPA in RBE4, DI TNC1, and Neuro-2a cells is transported through the L-type amino acid transporter and appears to be under the control of Ca2+/calmodulin-mediated pathways. Astrocytes, however, are endowed with other processes that appear to regulate the accumulation of l-DOPA, responding positively to increases in intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP and to decreases in cGMP.

Activation of spinal cord serotonergic neurons accompanies cold-induced sympathoexcitation

These studies examined the hypothesis that serotonergic neurons located in central sites known to be involved with autonomic regulation are activated by cold exposure, a potent stimulator of the sympathetic nervous system. In all experiments, rats were exposed to either 3 °C or 22 °C for 24 h. Significant increases (p < 0.05) in urinary norepinephrine excretion, depletions of myocardial norepinephrine, and enhanced myocardial L-DOPA accumulation following decarboxylase inhibition provided evidence of sympathoexcitation at 3 °C. Accumulations of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, in saline-injected rats, and 5-hydroxytryptophan in decarboxylase-inhibited rats were increased in spinal cord and brainstem regions of cold-exposed rats. Two hours after injection of the serotonin synthesis inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine, significantly greater depletions of serotonin in spinal cord and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in spinal cord and brainstem of cold-exposed rats were noted; synthesis inhibition also caused a larger drop in body temperature in cold-exposed rats. Microdissections of raphe nuclei and thoracic spinal cord sites indicated that the principal sites of serotonergic activation were the dorsal and intermediate spinal regions, and the raphe magnus. Thus, cold-induced sympathoexcitation was accompanied by activation of serotonergic neurons in spinal cord and brainstem regions known to be involved in autonomic regulation.Key words: serotonin, cold, stress, sympathetic nervous system, spinal cord.