Superoxide radicals mediate the biochemical effects of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): Evidence from using CuZn‐superoxide dismutase transgenic mice
Synapse October 1, 1995 Jean Lud Cadet, Bruce Ladenheim, Hiroshi Hirata et al. 81 citations
Mice carrying extra copies of the human superoxide dismutase gene are protected against MDMA-induced damage to brain dopamine neurons. Normal mice showed large drops in striatal dopamine and its metabolite DOPAC one day and two weeks after a single MDMA injection. Mice with one copy of the transgene showed dopamine loss only at one day, while mice with two copies showed no loss at either time point. Three repeated injections caused dopamine loss in normal mice, small losses in one-copy mice, and no loss in two-copy mice. Serotonin levels were unaffected in all groups. The findings indicate that superoxide radicals contribute to MDMA's dopamine toxicity.