Journal of Neurochemistry · 1994 · 363 citations · 0 references
Life SciencesNeurobiologyNeuroscienceApoptosisNeurochemistryNeurodegenerationApoptosis In NeurodegenerationCell DeathNeurodegenerative DiseasesNeuronal Cell DeathParkinson DiseaseParkinsonian DisordersApoptotic Neuronal DeathCell Death In NeurodegenerationDopaminergic NeurodegenerationDopaminergic Neuron DeathDopaminergic NeuronsMitochondrial Cell Death PathwaysNeural Cell DeathNeuronal Cell Death Pathways
The mode of cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) substantia nigra is uncertain. However, evidence is accumulating that certain of the biochemical abnormalities present in PD nigra at the time of death may precipitate apoptosis. We have investigated the mode of death induced by complex I inhibition of dopaminergic cell cultures, and our results suggest that both 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium and rotenone cause apoptosis at low concentrations and necrosis at high concentrations. This dose-dependent shift in the mode of cell death induced by these mitochondrial toxins may have important implications for the mechanisms of neuronal cell death in PD.