Role of Nucleobindin 1 in Clozapine-Induced Neuroprotection in MPTP-Treated Mice Models

Abstract

A possible candidate for neuroprotection has recently been identified as NUCB1, a multifunctional protein involved in calcium homeostasis and stress response. In this work, the effect of coadministering clozapine and MPTP on the survival of dopaminergic neurons was assessed. To determine the degree of neuroprotection, histological analyses and behavioral evaluations were done. The expression and distribution of NUCB1 in the central nervous system of mice with a particular focus on the brain by using RT-PCR was analyzed. Our results showed that mice treated with MPTP had considerably different levels of NUCB1 expression in the brain than mice treated with clozapine. These findings provide interesting directions for future neuroprotective approaches in the setting of MPTP-induced neuronal injury and shed light on the possible therapeutic implications of NUCB1 in reducing neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease.