Favit A, Sortino M A, Aleppo G, Scapagnini U, Canonico P L
Institute of Pharmacology, University of Catania School of Medicine, Italy.
J Neural Transm Suppl. 1995;45:297-305.
Dihydroergocryptine is an ergot alkaloid endowed with pharmacological actions mainly related to its dopaminomimetic activity. Free radical formation and subsequent lipid peroxidation had been postulated to participate broadly to the pathogenesis of tissue injury, including the brain injury induced by hypoxia, ischemia or trauma, as well as in the physiopathology of chronic neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. Here we report that dihydroergocryptine protects cultured rat cerebellar granule cells against age-dependent and glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Dihydroergocryptine antagonizes in fact both the neuronal death produced by acute exposure to a toxic glutamate concentration as well as the normal age-dependent degeneration in culture, presumably by exerting a scavenger action. This effect does not seem mediated entirely by interactions with the dopamine D2 receptors. The neuroprotective action of dihydroergocryptine suggests a potential usefulness in halting the acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases related to excitotoxic damage and free radical formation, including Parkinson's disease.
双氢麦角隐亭是一种麦角生物碱，其药理作用主要与其拟多巴胺活性有关。自由基的形成及随后的脂质过氧化被认为广泛参与了组织损伤的发病机制，包括缺氧、缺血或创伤所致的脑损伤，以及慢性神经退行性疾病如帕金森病的生理病理过程。在此我们报告，双氢麦角隐亭可保护培养的大鼠小脑颗粒细胞免受年龄依赖性及谷氨酸诱导的神经毒性。实际上，双氢麦角隐亭可拮抗急性暴露于毒性谷氨酸浓度所导致的神经元死亡以及培养物中正常的年龄依赖性退变，推测其通过发挥清除剂作用来实现。这种效应似乎并非完全由与多巴胺D2受体的相互作用介导。双氢麦角隐亭的神经保护作用提示其在阻止与兴奋性毒性损伤和自由基形成相关的急性和慢性神经退行性疾病（包括帕金森病）方面具有潜在用途。
