A Study on the Mechanisms by Which Minocycline Protects Against MDMA (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Neurotoxicity of 5-HT Cortical Neurons

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) is a selective 5-HT neurotoxin in rat brain which has been shown to produce acute neuroinflammation characterized by activation of microglia and release of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β). We aimed to determine whether or not minocycline, a semi-synthetic tetracycline antibiotic capable of inhibiting microglial activation, could prevent the inflammatory response and reduce the toxicity induced by MDMA. Adult male Dark Agouti rats were given minocycline twice a day for 2 days (45 mg/kg on the first day and 90 mg/kg on the second day; 12-h apart, i.p.). MDMA (12.5 mg/kg; i.p.) was given after the third minocycline injection and animals were killed either 1 h later for the determination of NFκB binding activity, 3 h later for the determination of IL-1β, 24 h later for the determination of microglial activation or 7 days later for the determination of [³H]-paroxetine binding as a measure of 5-HT neurotoxicity. MDMA increased NFκB activation, IL-1β release and microglial activation both in the frontal cortex and in the hypothalamus and 7 days later produced a reduction in the density of 5-HT uptake sites in both these brain areas. Minocycline prevented the MDMA-induced increase in NFκB activation, IL-1β release and microglial activation in the frontal cortex and prevented the 5-HT neurotoxicity 7 days later. However, in the hypothalamus, in spite of preventing MDMA-induced microglial activation, minocycline failed to prevent MDMA-induced NFκB activation, IL-1β release and neurotoxicity. This suggests that the protective mechanism of minocycline against MDMA-induced neurotoxicity in frontal cortex involves inhibition of MDMA-induced NFκB activation possibly through a reduction in IL-1β signalling.