Changes in COX histochemistry in the brain of mice and rats exposed to chronic subcutaneous rotenone

Time Course of Neurobehavioral Disruptions and Regional Brain Metabolism Changes in the Rotenone Mice Model of Parkinson’s Disease

“…The same as in our previous work with CD-1 mice and Wistar rats, we have shown the global non-specific effect of rotenone on different brain structures. This effect was mostly pronounced in the acute phase of rotenone action (1 day) and in cortical structures, which were previously shown to be the most metabolically active [ 23 , 44 ]. Particularly interesting are the transitory changes in regional metabolism in the cortex and hippocampus, which can be linked to the early symptoms observed.…”

“…COX histochemistry was processed analogous to the procedure described in [ 31 ] and our previous work [ 23 ]. The selected regions for the analysis were anatomically defined according to the mouse brain atlas [ 30 ].…”

“…However, even with subcutaneous administration of rotenone, motor symptoms are not always accompanied by the loss of cells in SNpc [ 18 ], which raises the question of underlying neuropathology. In our previous work with the same rotenone model [ 18 ], we have shown that the rotenone metabolic effect in the brains of mice is less specific than that of rats, disrupting COX activity not only in the SN, but also in various cortical structures [ 23 ]. The comparison of rotenone chronic exposure to CD-1 mice with exposure to another toxin, MPTP, showed faster dynamics of motor symptoms evolution in the rotenone model, but they lacked the specific neuropathological changes that are characteristic of PD [ 24 ].…”