Exposure to cigarette smoke does not decrease the neurotoxicity of N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in mice

Epidemiological surveys have repeatedly shown that idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) occurs less frequently in persons who have smoked cigarettes for many years than among age-matched non-smokers. Since PD might be caused by neurotoxins chemically similar to N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), we explored the possible protective effect of repeated exposure to cigarette smoke against MPTP neurotoxicity in the C57 black mouse. Mice given MPTP and exposed to cigarette smoke suffered just as great a depletion of striatal dopamine as did mice treated only with MPTP. We discovered also that different lots of C57 black mice obtained from a single supplier can have markedly different sensitivities to MPTP.