An organisms’ sensitivity to oxidative stress is thought to be influenced by basal levels of intrinsic oxidative stress and the ability to counteract oxidative stress and oxidative stress-induced damage. elegans to 6-OHDA, the loss of fluorescently labeled dopaminergic neurons can be easily monitored. Oxidative stress-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration is mimicked in animal models by treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a dopamine analog, which is specifically taken up into dopaminergic neurons. Dopaminergic neurons are progressively lost in Parkinson’s disease and an important risk factor to develop this disease appears to be oxidative stress, the increased occurrence of highly reactive oxygen species.
Many neuronal signaling components, such as those mediating dopaminergic neurotransmission, are preserved as well.
elegans has been crucial to characterize cell death programmes that are conserved in mammals. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful genetic model that can be used to investigate neuronal death.
