Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: The Nurr1 Ligand,1,1-bis(3'-Indolyl)-1-(p-Chlorophenyl)Methane, Modulates Glial Reactivity and Is Neuroprotective in MPTP-Induced Parkinsonism.

Authors: Hammond, Sean L; Popichak, Katriana A; Li, Xi; Hunt, Lindsay G; Richman, Evan H; Damale, Pranav U; Chong, Edwin K P; Backos, Donald S; Safe, Stephen; Tjalkens, Ronald B

Published In J Pharmacol Exp Ther, (2018 Jun)

Abstract: The orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 (also called nuclear receptor-4A2) regulates inflammatory gene expression in glial cells, as well as genes associated with homeostatic and trophic function in dopaminergic neurons. Despite these known functions of Nurr1, an endogenous ligand has not been discovered. We postulated that the activation of Nurr1 would suppress the activation of glia and thereby protect against loss of dopamine (DA) neurons after subacute lesioning with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Our previous studies have shown that a synthetic Nurr1 ligand, 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-chlorophenyl)methane (C-DIM12), suppresses inflammatory gene expression in primary astrocytes and induces a dopaminergic phenotype in neurons. Pharmacokinetic analysis of C-DIM12 in mice by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry demonstrated that approximately three times more compound concentrated in the brain than in plasma. Mice treated with four doses of MPTP + probenecid over 14 days were monitored for neurobehavioral function, loss of dopaminergic neurons, and glial activation. C-DIM12 protected against the loss of DA neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and DA terminals in the striatum, maintained a ramified phenotype in microglia, and suppressed activation of astrocytes. In vitro reporter assays demonstrated that C-DIM12 was an effective activator of Nurr1 transcription in neuronal cell lines. Computational modeling of C-DIM12 binding to the three-dimensional structure of human Nurr1 identified a high-affinity binding interaction with Nurr1 at the coactivator domain. Taken together, these data suggest that C-DIM12 is an activator of Nurr1 that suppresses glial activation and neuronal loss in vivo after treatment with MPTP, and that this receptor could be an efficacious target for disease modification in individuals with Parkinson's disease and related disorders.

PubMed ID: 29626009 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine/pharmacology*; Active Transport, Cell Nucleus/drug effects; Animals; Brain/drug effects; Brain/metabolism; Brain/pathology; Cell Count; Cell Nucleus/drug effects; Cell Nucleus/metabolism; Dopaminergic Neurons/drug effects; Dopaminergic Neurons/metabolism; Dopaminergic Neurons/pathology; Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects; Indoles/metabolism*; Indoles/pharmacokinetics; Indoles/pharmacology*; Indoles/therapeutic use; Ligands; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; NF-kappa B/metabolism; Neuroglia/drug effects*; Neuroglia/pathology; Neuroprotective Agents/metabolism; Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacokinetics; Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2/metabolism*; Parkinsonian Disorders/chemically induced*; Parkinsonian Disorders/drug therapy*; Parkinsonian Disorders/metabolism; Parkinsonian Disorders/pathology; Phenotype; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Tissue Distribution

Back
to Top