Behavioural Alterations Induced by Acute and Subacute Administration of 3-Nitropropionic Acid in Rats*
Anita Lukács, Andrea Szabó, András Papp, and László Nagymajtényi
Department of Public Health, University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine, Szeged, Hungary
* This work was presented as a poster in the 8th DKMT Euroregional Conference in Timişoara, Romania.
Corresponding author: Anita Lukács
Department of Public Health
University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine
Dóm tér 10., H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
Telephone: +36-62-545-119
Fax number: +36-62-545-120
E-mail: lukacsa@puhe.szote.u-szeged.hu
CEJOEM 2006, Vol.12. No.4.: 309–316
Key words:
3-nitropropionic acid, behavioural alterations, rat
Abstract:
Animals treated with the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) mimic the brain
lesions and dysfunctions seen in Huntington’s disease and, consequently, treatment with 3-NP can serve to
model this disease. In rats, acute and subacute systemic administration of 3-NP caused decreased locomotor
activity and altered pre-pulse inhibition. In the present study, male Wistar rats received systemically 10
or 20 mg/kg 3-NP; as a single dose (acute treatment) or in six consecutive injections (subacute treatment).
Controls were given saline. Before the treatment, 30 minutes after the single administration, and after the
sixth injection in the subacute treatment, behavioural investigations (open field activity, acoustic startle
response, and rota-rod) were done. In acute treatment, low dose of 3-NP significantly decreased the horizontal
activity and caused significant local hyperactivity in the open field test. In the acoustic startle response,
the number of “noise-positive responses” displayed nosignificant change. Low dose of 3-NP reduced the time
spent on the rod. In subacute treatment, decreased horizontal and local activity was measured; the vertical
activity significantly decreased in the high-dose group compared to the low-dose one. The differences in the
number of acoustic startle responses were below the level of significance. 3-NP had a negative effect on the
time spent on the rod. Our results showed that 3-NP had an effect on the locomotor activity and on the pre-pulse
inhibition of acoustic startle. The results can contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of 3-NP
toxicity and thereby they might prove useful in developing neuroprotective strategies in models based on
the neurotoxic effect.
Received: 11 October 2006
Accepted: 30 January 2007
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