Calpain Activity Under Experimental Increasing of Dopamine Level

Abstract

The aim of our study was to identify the activity of calpains under conditions of an experimental increase in the level of dopamine. The work was performed at three levels: in vivo, in situ, in vitro. An in situ study was carried on a model of isolated nerve endings - synaptosomes. Using casein zymography in solution with FITC-casein, it was shown that incubation of synaptosomes dopamine leads to calpains secretion into the synaptosomal medium. The dopamine ability to directly activate calpain was demonstrated by casein zymography in a gel. Incubation in an activation buffer containing dopamine instead of the classical activator, calcium chloride, led to the activation of calpain-2. An in vivo experiment was performed on Wistar rats. The experimental group was orally administered the drug L-dopa (100 mg/kg), the control group - saline was injected in the same way.