N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4) has differential efficacy for causing central noradrenergic lesions in two different rat strains: comparison between Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley rats.

We tested the hypothesis that Long-Evans (LE) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat strains were equally sensitive to the noradrenergic neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4) with respect to central lesions of locus coeruleus (LC) terminals as measured by immunohistochemical localization of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (D beta H). Analysis of D beta H immunoreactivity was made by both qualitative and quantitative methods. Intraperitoneal injections of 50 mg/kg DSP-4 caused a dramatic reduction of noradrenergic terminals in the neocortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of SD, but not LE rats as compared to saline-injected controls. This finding indicates that LE rats are less sensitive than SD rats to the neurotoxic effects of DSP-4 in the central nervous system.