| 摘要 |
The etiology of various age-related neurological diseases remains unknown. Sporadic forms of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease have been linked to environmental factors that cause neuronal cell death by either by excitotoxicity or by inducing oxidative stress. Our recent studies have demonstrated that various compounds not previously associated with these diseases, i.e., methionine sulfoximine and sitosterol glucoside, appear to b e neurotoxins, likely acting by excitotoxic mechanisms. For these compounds, the primary excitotox ic effect appears to involve glutamate release followed by NMDA receptor activation. Lactate dehydrogenase assays demonstrate that both compounds cause rapid cell death in vitro. In addition, both compounds appear to alter antioxidant defense mechanisms, acting particularl y on levels of reduced glutathione (GSH). In vivo application of MSO has historically been linked to behavioral abnormalities, including seizures, in various species. Our recent experiments have demonstrated that mice fed cycad flour containing sitosterol glucoside have severe behavioral abnormalities of motor and cognitive function, as well as significant levels of neurodegeneration in cortex, hippocampus, spinal cord, and other CNS regions measured post mortem. The combined weight of excitotoxic action, in concert to a decline in antioxidant defenses, induced by molecules such as methionine sulfoximine and sitosterol glucoside is hypothesized to be causal to neuronal degeneration in various neurological diseases. Understanding the mechanisms of action of these and functionally related molecules may serve t o focus attention on potential neurotoxins present in the human environment. Only once such molecules have been identified, can we begin to design appropriate pharmaceutical strategies to prevent or halt the progression of the age-related neurological diseases. Key Words Glutamate, glutathione, excitoxicity, oxidative stress, methionine sulfoximine, sitosterol glucoside, ALS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, ALS-PDC. Abbreviations ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ALS-PDC, ALS-parkinsonism dementia complex; AMPA, .alpha.-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; BSSG, .beta.-sitosterol-.beta.-D-glucoside; EAA, excitatory amino acid; GluR, glutamate receptor; GSH, glutathione; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; MSO, methionine sulfoximine; NMDA, N- methyl-D- aspartate; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD, superoxide dismutase.
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