Skip to main content
Advertisement

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Visit jpet on Facebook
  • Follow jpet on Twitter
  • Follow jpet on LinkedIn
Research ArticleARTICLE

4-Methylcatechol Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Content and mRNA Expression in Cultured Brain Cells and in Rat Brain In Vivo

Atsumi Nitta, Megumi Ito, Hidefumi Fukumitsu, Makoto Ohmiya, Hisanori Ito, Ayako Sometani, Hiroshi Nomoto, Yoshiko Furukawa and Shoei Furukawa
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics December 1999, 291 (3) 1276-1283;
Atsumi Nitta
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Megumi Ito
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hidefumi Fukumitsu
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Makoto Ohmiya
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hisanori Ito
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ayako Sometani
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hiroshi Nomoto
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yoshiko Furukawa
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Shoei Furukawa
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Practical use of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as therapy is limited by two serious problems, i.e., its inability to cross the blood-brain barrier and its instability in the bloodstream. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 4-methylcatechol (4-MC), which stimulates nerve growth factor synthesis and protects against peripheral neuropathies in rats, on BDNF content and mRNA expression in cultured brain cells and in vivo in the rat brain. 4-MC elevated BDNF content in culture media of both rat astrocytes and neurons with different dose-response relations. The increase in BDNF mRNA level was correlated with the increase in BDNF content, demonstrating that 4-MC can stimulate BDNF synthesis of both neurons and astrocytes. Then we examined the in vivo effects of 4-MC. First, we found that ventricularly administered 4-MC facilitated an increase in the BDNF content in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in association with its diffusion into the brain parenchyma. Second, i.p. administration of 4-MC enhanced BDNF mRNA expression in the infant rat brain, in which the blood-brain has not yet fully been established. These results demonstrate that 4-MC, once delivered into the brain, can stimulate BDNF synthesis.

Footnotes

  • Send reprint requests to: Shoei Furukawa, Ph.D., Laboratory of Molecular Biology, 5-6-1 Mitahora-higashi, Gifu 502-8585, Japan. E-mail: furukawa{at}gifu-pu.ac.jp

  • ↵1 This work is supported, in part, by Health Science Research Grant (Research on Brain Science) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan.

  • Abbreviations:
    BDNF
    brain-derived neurotrophic factor
    NGF
    nerve growth factor
    NT
    neurotrophin
    CNS
    central nervous system
    BBB
    blood-brain barrier
    4-MC
    4-methylcatechol
    DMEM
    Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium
    FCS
    fetal calf serum
    RT-PCR
    reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction
    CM
    conditioned medium
    EIA
    enzyme immunoassay
    GDNF
    glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor
    PFA
    paraformaldehyde
    • Received May 20, 1999.
    • Accepted August 24, 1999.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
View Full Text

JPET articles become freely available 12 months after publication, and remain freely available for 5 years. 

Non-open access articles that fall outside this five year window are available only to institutional subscribers and current ASPET members, or through the article purchase feature at the bottom of the page. 

 

  • Click here for information on institutional subscriptions.
  • Click here for information on individual ASPET membership.

 

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics: 291 (3)
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Vol. 291, Issue 3
1 Dec 1999
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
4-Methylcatechol Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Content and mRNA Expression in Cultured Brain Cells and in Rat Brain In Vivo
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Research ArticleARTICLE

4-Methylcatechol Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Content and mRNA Expression in Cultured Brain Cells and in Rat Brain In Vivo

Atsumi Nitta, Megumi Ito, Hidefumi Fukumitsu, Makoto Ohmiya, Hisanori Ito, Ayako Sometani, Hiroshi Nomoto, Yoshiko Furukawa and Shoei Furukawa
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics December 1, 1999, 291 (3) 1276-1283;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Research ArticleARTICLE

4-Methylcatechol Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Content and mRNA Expression in Cultured Brain Cells and in Rat Brain In Vivo

Atsumi Nitta, Megumi Ito, Hidefumi Fukumitsu, Makoto Ohmiya, Hisanori Ito, Ayako Sometani, Hiroshi Nomoto, Yoshiko Furukawa and Shoei Furukawa
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics December 1, 1999, 291 (3) 1276-1283;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Experimental Procedures
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

ARTICLE

  • CRV431 Decreases Liver Fibrosis and Tumor Development
  • Tissue Selectivity of Antidiabetic Agent Nateglinide: Study on Cardiovascular and β-Cell KATP Channels
  • Ethanol-Induced Barrier Dysfunction and Its Prevention by Growth Factors in Human Intestinal Monolayers: Evidence for Oxidative and Cytoskeletal Mechanisms
Show more ARTICLE

Article

  • CRV431 Decreases Liver Fibrosis and Tumor Development
  • Tissue Selectivity of Antidiabetic Agent Nateglinide: Study on Cardiovascular and β-Cell KATP Channels
  • Ethanol-Induced Barrier Dysfunction and Its Prevention by Growth Factors in Human Intestinal Monolayers: Evidence for Oxidative and Cytoskeletal Mechanisms
Show more Article

Articles

  • CRV431 Decreases Liver Fibrosis and Tumor Development
  • Tissue Selectivity of Antidiabetic Agent Nateglinide: Study on Cardiovascular and β-Cell KATP Channels
  • Ethanol-Induced Barrier Dysfunction and Its Prevention by Growth Factors in Human Intestinal Monolayers: Evidence for Oxidative and Cytoskeletal Mechanisms
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Advertisement
  • Home
  • Alerts
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   RSS

Navigate

  • Current Issue
  • Fast Forward by date
  • Fast Forward by section
  • Latest Articles
  • Archive
  • Search for Articles
  • Feedback
  • ASPET

More Information

  • About JPET
  • Editorial Board
  • Instructions to Authors
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Customized Alerts
  • RSS Feeds
  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions
  • Terms & Conditions of Use

ASPET's Other Journals

  • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
  • Molecular Pharmacology
  • Pharmacological Reviews
  • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
ISSN 1521-0103 (Online)

Copyright © 2022 by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics