Figure 5. Angiogenin overexpression does not reduce MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra.

Four weeks following AAV2 injection, MPTP was administered at 30 mg/kg/day for five days. Mice were sacrificed three weeks following the last MPTP injection and brain sections stained for tyrosine hydroxylase to identify DA neurons in the substantia nigra. Stereology counts of TH-positive nigral neurons in the AAV-injected side are shown for each of the four conditions: GFP-saline (n = 7), Ang-saline (n = 4), GFP-MPTP (n = 17), and Ang-MPTP (n = 16). MPTP induced a 28% reduction in TH-stained neurons in the substantia nigra of GFP-injected mice, and angiogenin did not ameliorate dopaminergic neuron loss induced by MPTP. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 (One-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc test). Error bars reflect SEM.