Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 11, 2170-2176, Copyright © 1991 by Society for Neuroscience
Catechol oxidation by peroxidase-positive astrocytes in primary culture: an electron spin resonance study
HM Schipper, Y Kotake and EG Janzen
Department of Neurology, McGill University, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In rodents, chronic estrogenization has been shown to induce degeneration
of dendrites and myelin figures in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus
adjacent to peroxidase-positive astrocyte processes. Because in this brain
region estradiol is metabolized to 2- hydroxyestradiol (catecholestrogen),
we hypothesized that the latter may be oxidized by the astrocytic
peroxidase activity to cytotoxic ortho-semiquinones as occurs in peripheral
tissues. Cysteamine induces nonenzymatic peroxidase activity in cultured
astroglia identical to that observed in vivo. Using electron spin
resonance, we demonstrate robust peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of
2-hydroxyestradiol and dopamine by cysteamine-pretreated astrocyte cultures
relative to untreated controls. These results implicate the
peroxidase-positive astrocytes in the pathogenesis of estradiol-related
hypothalamic damage, parkinsonism, and other free-radical-related
neurologic disorders.