Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of a Novel Cobalt(II) Complex Based on 3-Methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-Thienoyl)-Pyrazol-5-One

New cobalt(II) complex, [Co(O2C15H11N2S)2(OH2)2]∙2H2O (1∙2H2O), has been synthesized upon reaction of cobalt chloride hexahydrate (Co(Cl)2∙6H2O) with 3-methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-thienoyl)-pyrazol-5-one (referred as HL) in ethanol at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic methods, and microelemental analyses were used to characterize 1∙2H2O. Compound 1∙2H2O crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with a Pbca space group and with the cobalt atom being pseudo-octahedral coordinated. The broth microdilution technique was used to screen the free ligand (HL) and the complex (1∙2H2O) for antimicrobial activities. HL has a low activity (MIC > 100 μg/mL) on all microorganisms, whereas compound 1∙2H2O displayed moderate activity (10 ∙2H2O exhibited bactericidal and fungicidal activity respectively on all the bacteria and yeasts tested. These findings reveal that the antimicrobial activity of HL was enhanced upon coordination to Co(II) ion against all microorganisms (bacteria and fungus).

Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of a Novel Cobalt(II) Complex Based on 3-Methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-Thienoyl)-Pyrazol-5-One

New cobalt(II) complex, [Co(O2C15H11N2S)2(OH2)2]∙2H2O (1∙2H2O), has been synthesized upon reaction of cobalt chloride hexahydrate (Co(Cl)2∙6H2O) with 3-methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-thienoyl)-pyrazol-5-one (referred as HL) in ethanol at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic methods, and microelemental analyses were used to characterize 1∙2H2O. Compound 1∙2H2O crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with a Pbca space group and with the cobalt atom being pseudo-octahedral coordinated. The broth microdilution technique was used to screen the free ligand (HL) and the complex (1∙2H2O) for antimicrobial activities. HL has a low activity (MIC > 100 μg/mL) on all microorganisms, whereas compound 1∙2H2O displayed moderate activity (10 ∙2H2O exhibited bactericidal and fungicidal activity respectively on all the bacteria and yeasts tested. These findings reveal that the antimicrobial activity of HL was enhanced upon coordination to Co(II) ion against all microorganisms (bacteria and fungus).

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Antitumor Activity of 2-(3-Methyl-5-(methylthio)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)isoindoline-1,3-dione

The title compound 2-（3-methyl-5-（methylthio）-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl）isoindoline- 1,3-dione （C12H10NaO2S, Mr= 274.30） has been synthesized by a three-step procedure including the cyclization, hydrazinolysis and substitution reactions, and its crystal structure was determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic system, space group P2/c with a = 12.264（3）, b = 14.646（3）, c = 14.349（4） A,β = 91.69（3）°,μ = 0.255 mm1, Mr = 274.30, V = 2576.2（10） A3, Z =8, Dc = 1.414 g/cm3, F（000） = 1136, R = 0.0487 and wR = 0.1329 for 4048 observed reflections with I 〉 2σ（I）. In addition, the preliminary bioassay suggested that the title compound 6 exhibits relatively good antitumor activity against HT-29 and MCF-7.

Differential protein expression in substantia nigra induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine in a mouse model of chronic Parkinson’s disease

BACKGROUND： To date, a complete protein expression profile of the midbrain substantia nigra in a mouse model of chronic Parkinson＇s disease, induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine （MPTP）, does not exist. In addition, there are no reports of analysis of differential protein expression. OBJECTIVE： To separate and evaluate MPTP-induced differential protein expression through the use of proteomics in the substantia nigra of a mouse model of chronic Parkinson＇s disease. DESIGN： Randomized controlled animal study. SETTING： Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University. MATERIALS： Sixteen 8-10-week old, healthy, male, C57BL mice, weighing 20-25 g, and of clean grade, were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Chongqing Medical University. The experimental animals were disposed according to ethical criteria. MPTP was provided by Sigma Company, USA; Pdquest 2D image analysis software and gelatum/irradiance image analysis system （ChemiDoc XRS） by Bio-Rad, USA; and Voyager DE-PROMALD1-TOF-MS mass spectroscopy analyzer by AB1 Company, USA. METHODS： This study was performed in Chongqing Neurological Laboratory between November 2006 and July 2007. Mice were randomly divided into model and control groups, with 8 mice in each group. Mice in the model group were received a subcutaneous injection of MPTP （25 mg＆g）, twice a week, for five successive weeks, to establish a chronic Parkinson＇s disease model. Mice in the control group received the same volume of a subcutaneous saline injection at the same time points. Mice were sacrificed by anesthesia to rapidly obtain the midbrain for protein separation of the substantia nigra. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： （1） 2-ED handbook （Bio-Rad Company） was referenced for two-dimensional electrophoresis, （2） PDQUEST8,0 analytical electrophoresis pattern was adopted to evaluate differential protein expression. （3） Peptide mass finger print map and data were retrieved on http：//www.prospector.ucsf.edu to compare differential substantia nigral protein expression in the two groups. RESULTS： Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of substantia nigra tissue indicated that there were 33 differential protein expressions between the two groups. Three new proteins were evaluated, including α -enolase, which exhibited regulated expression, tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 4, and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B. CONCLUSION： There are three proteins that exhibit differential expression in the substantia nigra- α -enolase, tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 4, and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B.

Synthesis of fused pyran and arylbis(4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3-yl)methane in ionic liquid

Promoted and mediated by an ionic liquid-[bmim][BF4], fused pyrans or arylbis（4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3- yl）methanes were efficiently and selectively prepared from the reaction of aldehyde and 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-oxo-pyran with or without acetic anhydride. By using these novel procedures, pyrimidine nucleoside-fused pyran and arylbis（pyranon-3-yl）methane hybrids with potential biological activities were constructed.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Trans-4-[(5-(2,4-Dichlorophenoxy)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyleneamino]-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyrazol-3-one

The title compound trans-4-[（5-（2,4-dichlorophenoxy）-3-methyl- 1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl）methyleneamino]- 1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyrazol-3-one 3 （C28H23Cl2N5O2, Mr = 532.41） has been synthesized and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. It crystallizes in triclinic, space group P1- with a = 8.9438（4）, b = 11.6065（5）, c = 14.2215（6）A, α = 112.566（1）, β = 92.324（2）, γ = 102.91（1）°, V= 1315.65（10） A^3, Z = 2, Dc = 1.344 g/cm^3,μ（MoKa） = 0.282 mm^-1, λ = 0.71073 A, F（000） = 552, the final R = 0.0587 and wR = 0.1578 for 5071 observed reflections （I 〉 2σ（I））. X-ray analysis reveals that the product is a thermodynamically stable trans isomer. Intra- and intermolecular C（ 12）-H（12）…O（1） and C（28）-H（28）...O（1）# 1 hydrogen bonds were observed in the title compound.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Ethyl 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-4-oxo-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-5-carboxylate

The crystal structure of the title compound ethyl 3-（4-chlorophenyl）-3,4-dihydro-6- methyl-4-oxo-2-（pyrrolidin-1-yl）furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-5-carboxylate （C20H20ClN3O4, Mr= 401.84） has been prepared and determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal is of monoclinic, space group P21/n with a = 20.6215（9）, b = 8.5311（4）, c = 21.6886（9） A^°, β = 91.607（1）°, V = 3814.0（3）A^°^3, Z = 8, Dc = 1.400 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1680, μ = 0.233 mm^-1, R = 0.0718 and wR = 0.1545 for 6717 observed reflections with I 〉 2σ（I）. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals two crystallographically independent molecules in the asymmetric unit.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of (Z)-Methyl-3-methoxy-2-{2-[(4-(E-3-p-tolylacryloyl)phenoxy)methyl]phenyl}acrylate

The title compound,(Z)-methyl-3-methoxy-2-{2-[(4-(E-3-p-tolylacryloyl)phenoxy)-methyl]phenyl}acrylate,was synthesized and determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction.The crystal belongs to the triclinic system,space group P1 with a=8.0157(8),b=12.5748(13),c=13.3768(14)Å,α=64.770(2),β=75.720(2),γ=89.784(2)°,μ=0.085 mm^(-1),Mr=442.49,V=1174.1(2)Å3,Z=2,Dc=1.252 g/cm^(3),F(000)=468,T=294(2)K,R=0.0603 and wR=0.1498 for 2644 observed reflections with I〉2σ(I).X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the single crystal contains strong non-classical hydrogen bonds.The preliminary bioassay showed that the title compound exhibits inhibitory activity against the Pseudoperoniospora cubensis and Rhizoctonia solani at the test concentration of 200 mg/L.

Theoretical Study on the Structure and Vibrational Spectra for 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one

Density functional theory BLYP (using Becke's and Lee-Yang-Parr's correlation functionals), nb initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and hybrid DFT/HF B3LYP calculations were carried out to study the structure and vibrational spectra of 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one. The BLYP/6-31G* and scaled HF/6-31G* frequencies correspond well with each other and with available experimental assignment of the functional vibrational modes.

Synthesis and Biological Activities of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetyl(thio)urea and S-(+)-3-Methyl-2-(4-chlorophenyl)butyramide Derivatives

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetyl（thio）urea and S-（＋）-3-methyl-2-（4-chlorophenyl）butyramides were synthesized via acylation,aminolysis,esterification and addition reactions,and the partial new compounds have desirable bioactive activity.

Crystal Structure and Biological Activities of (R)-N′-[2-(4-Methoxy-6-chloro)-pyrimidinyl]-N-[3-methyl-2-(4-chlorophenyl)butyryl]-urea

The title compound （R）-N′-[2-（4-methoxy-6-chloro）-pyrimidyl]-N-[3-methyl-2-（4- chlorophenyl）butyryl]-urea has been synthesized, and its crystal structure and biological behaviors were studied. Crystallographic data： C17H18C12N4O3, Mr = 397.25, monoclinic, space group P21/c, a = 12.331（2）, b = 14.025（3）, c = 23.085（5） A, β = 99.607（4）°, Z = 8, V = 3936.2（13） A3, Dc = 1.341 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1648, R = 0.0718, wR = 0.1585 and/t（MoKα） = 0.353 mm^-1. The preliminary biological tests showed that the title compound has definite insecticidal and fungicidal activities.

Establishing motor disorder mouse models of Parkinson disease Comparison of 6-hydroxydompamine and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine

At present, pathogenesis and mechanism of Parkinson disease （PD） are still unclear. Animal models of PD are essential tools in studies on etiology and therapy and should mimic the chronic pathological process, histological characteristics and motor behavior dysfunction. In recent years, transgenic mice have been widely utilized to study the mechanism of PD, and it has become imperative that a PD mouse model of motor behavioral dysfunction be established. OBJECTIVE： To compare the behavioral and histochemical characters of two neurotoxic mice model induced with 6-hydroxydopamine （6-OHDA） or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6 -tetrahydropyridine （MPTP）, and a better method to mimic Parkinson disease will be found out. DESIGN： Parallel experiment. SETTING： Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Jiao Tohg University. MATERIALS： Sixty 129Sv/C57BL6J male wild mice, SPF grade, 8 - 12 weeks old, weighing 20 - 25 g, were provided by Experimental Animal Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. All the surgery operation was performed according to the rules of Shanghai Jiaotong University Animal Committee. METHODS： The experiment was carried out in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics （National Key Laboratory）, Department of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Jiao Ttong University from March to August 2006. ①Thirty-two male mice were randomly divided into control group and drug treatment group with 16 mice in each group. Surgery was carried out and 6-OHDA was administrated to substantia nigra pars compacta （SNpc） and nigra-striatum pathway according to the different parameters with intoxication apparatus. Saline was injected to the other 16 mice according to the same paradigm. 1 mg/kg apomorphine was injected intraperitoneally 2 weeks later after surgery to induce the imbalanced rotation behavior for 40 minutes. ②Twenty-eight mice were randomly divided into 4 groups with 7 in each group, including low-dose, moderate-dose, high-dose groups and negative control group. Then, mice in the drug treatment group were injected intraperitoneally with 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg MPTP for 9 successive days. In addition, mice in the control group were injected with the same volume of saline for 9 days. Pole test and stride length test were utilized to detect coordinative behavioral dysfunction. Mice were sacrificed 20 days after MPTP treatment, and histochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxynase （TH） was used to observe the loss of dopaminergic neuron in SNpc. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① Success ratio of each model establishment method; ② inducible asymmetric cycle behavior test 2 weeks after 6-OHDA injection; ③behavioral dysfunction in pole test and stride length, morphological changes in brain tissue. RESULTS： Totally sixty mice were used in this experiment and 3 mice were excluded because of the hypersensitivity or the clumsy reaction in motor behavioral detection before MPTP treatment, therefore, data was analyzed with the rest 57 mice. ① Lethal ratio： Three out of 16 mice died in striatum injection group and 5 out of 16 mice died in nigro-striatal pathway group. No mouse died in MPTP treatment groups. ② Locomotor behavior： No dysfunction of locomotor was found in 6-OHDA treatment groups. However, several motor behavioral dysfunction were start to present at the 4th day of MPTP injection. ③ Asymmetric cycle behavior： No asymmetric cycle was induced successfully two weeks after 6-OHDA surgery. Mice show hypersensitive behavior 10 minutes after apomorphine injection, which lasted for about 20 minutes. ④ Pole test： From the 4^th day of MPTP treatment, mice started to display coordinate dysfunction, such as climbing down along the pole in spiral, moving slowly with hesitation. Some mice could not grab the pole and slide down along the pole at 4th day post injection. Comparing with 0 dose control group, all the threedrug treatment groups show significant different dysfunction from the 4th day to the 20th day post injection （P 〈 0.01）. ⑤ stride length test： Mice＇s stride length decreased, when treated with MPTP, and the mice in the high dose group displayed obviously. ⑥ Dopaminergic neuron stained with TH in nigra pars compacta： The results indicated that administrated MPTP （from low dose to high dose） by intraperitoneal cause chronic lesions on the dopaminergic neuron in the SNpc. CONCLUSION： PD mice models induced with 6-OHDA show high mortality ratio and no asymmetric cycle was found after apomorphine injection. However, injection of MPTP intraperitoneally can simulate the chronic pathway of PD, typical histological changes are found and stable motor behavioral dysfunctions are displayed.

THE EFFECTS OF DEPRENYL AND 1-METHYL-4-PHENYL-1, 2, 3, 6-TETRAHYDROPYRIDINE (MPTP) ON 2-DEOXYGLUCOSE UPTAKE IN THE MOUSE BRAIN

~3H-2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) autoradiographic technique was used to study the ef feets of a monoamine-oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor deprenyl and the neurotoxin Ⅰ-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on 2-DG uptake in the mouse brain. Following MPTP intoxication, 2-DG uptake was increased in the substantia nigra and lo(?)us ceruleus. At the same time, obvious abnormal behavior of the animals was induced. In the mice pretreated with deprenyl, 2-DG uptake was similar to that of control animal. Ab normal behavior. though present, was significantly milder than in mice given MPTP alone. It is concluded that MPTP interferes with the glucose metabolism in the substantia nigra and locus ceruleus and induces remarkable abnormal behavioral syndrome of mice. These deleterious effects can be blocked by pretreatment with deprenyl.

MADOPAR-INDUCED DYSKINESIA IN 1-METHYL-4-PHENYL-1,2,3,6-TETRAHYDROPYRIDINE (MPTP) HEMIPARKINSONIAN MONKEY MODEL

Infusion of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) into the right common carotid artery produced hemiparkinsonian syndrome on contralateral limbs in 5 rhesus monkeys. The hemiparkinsonian syndrome produced responded to madopar medication and the circling motion changed from toward the MPTP-treated side to away from the MPTP-treated side. Long term use of madopar developed a peak-dose dyskinesia of the face and limbs at the contralateral side. The toxic effect of MPTP was confirmed biochemically by reduction of nigrostriatal DA and histologically by degeneration of nigral neurons on the MPTP-treated side. It is concluded that this hemiparkinsonian monkey model will be of value in the elucidation of the neural mechanism underlying L-DOPA or DA agonists induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease and in the search for newer methods of treatment which would produce less dyskinesia.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of S-(+)-N′-Tertbutylaminocarbonyl-N-[3-methyl-2-(4-chlorophenyl)butyryl] Thiourea

The title compound S-（＋）-N＇-tertbutylaminocarbonyl-N-[3-methyl-2-（4-chlorophenyl）butyryl] thiourea has been synthesized and its crystal structure was determined by singlecrystal X-ray diffraction analysis. There exist intramolecular N（2）-H（2A）…O（1）, C（17）-H（17A）… O（2） and N（3）-H（3A）…S（1） hydrogen bonds as well as intermolecular N-H…O interaction between the carbonyl and amidogen groups. Crystallographic data： CITH24ClN3O2S, Mr = 369.90, monoclinic, space group C2/c with a = 22.9922（19）, b = 14.4844（12）, c = 12.4618（11） A, β = 92.608（2）°, V = 4145.8（6） ]k3, Z = 8, Dc = 1.185 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1568, g（MoKa） = 0.298 mm^-1, R = 0.0578 and wR = 0.1308.

Enamine Configuration of 5-Methyl-2-phenyl-4- [(Z)-3-tolylamino-phenylmethylene]pyrazol-3(2H)-one

Compound 5-methyl-2-phenyl-4-[（Z）-3-tolylamino-phenylmethylene]pyrazol-3（2H）-one （C24H21N3O） crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1, with a = 9.267（3）, b = 9.904（4）,c = 12.035（4） A°, α = 97.896（6）, β = 103.865（6）, γ = 107.950（6）°, Mr= 367.44, Z = 2, V = 993.2（6）A°^3,Dc = 1.229 g/cm^3,μ（MoKa） = 0.077 mm^-1 and F（000） = 388. The structure was refined to R =0.0444 and wR = 0.1199 for 2903 observed reflections （I 〉 2σ（I））. The results of ^1H NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies showed the enamine character of the compound. The strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the large conjugate system, together with weak intermolecular C-H……π hydrogen bonding and π……π stacking, lead to the formation of a multi-dimensional supramolecular network.

Synthesis,Characterization,X-ray Crystal Structure and Safener Activity of Chiral 2-(3-Methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]oxazin-4-yl)-2-oxoethyl Acetate

The new title compound, chiral 2-（3-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]oxazin-4-yl）- 2-oxoethyl acetate, has been synthesized via reduction, cyclization and acylation reaction. The structure of the product has been confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, LC-MS （ESI） and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. （R）-2-（3-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]oxazin-4-yl）-2-oxoethyl acetate crystallizes in monoclinic, space group P21/c with a = 11.867（2）, b = 8.4087（2）, c = 14.325（6） A^°, β = 117.59（2）°, Z = 4, V = 1266.9（6） A^°3, Dc = 1.307 g/cm^3, F（000） = 528, μ（MoKα） = 0.097 mm-1, R = 0.0453 and wR = 0.1237; （S）-2-（3-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]oxazin-4-yl）-2-oxoethyl acetate belongs to the triclinic system, space group P with a = 8.2647（17）, b = 8.7034（17）, c = 9.5479（19） A^°, α = 105.33（3）, β = 100.95（3）, γ = 105.14（3）°, Z = 2, V = 614.1（2） A^°3, Dc = 1.348 g/cm^3, F（000） = 264, μ（MoKα） = 0.10 mm-1, R = 0.0613 and wR = 0.1037. Both of the molecules prefer to form crystal packing through C–H…O hydrogen bonds.

Thermodynamic Study and Spectroscopic Analysis of a Charge-Transfer Complex between 3,5-Diamino-1,2,4-Triazole and 6-Methyl-1,3,5-Triazine-2,4-Diamine with Chloranilic Acid

Studying of charge-transfer (CT) and proton transfer interactions is essential due to their important role in many biological field and industrial applications. The current work will add more information’s about the nature of interaction between 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole (DAT) and 6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (MTDA) with 3,6-dichloro-2,5-dihydroxy-p-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid CLA) which was studied spectrophotometrically in Ethanol (EtOH) and Methanol (MeOH) solvents at different temperatures. The molecular composition of the formed complexes was studied by applying continuous variation and spectrophotometric titration methods and found to be 1:1 charge transfer complex for both Complex (DAT:CLA) and (MTDA:CLA) which are produced. Minimum-Maximum absorbance’s method has been applied to calculate the formation constant KCT and molecular extinction coefficient (ε);they recorded high values confirming high stability of the produced complexes. Oscillator strength (f), transition dipole moment (μ), ionization potential (IP) and dissociation energy (W) of the formed CT-complexes were also determined and evaluated;they showed solvent dependency. It is concluded that the formation constant (KCT) of the complexes is found to depend on the nature of both electron acceptor and donors and on the polarity of solvents.

Synthesis of (S)-2-(3-Arylacrylamido)-3-{4-[2-(5-methyl-2-phenyl-oxazol-4-yl)ethoxy]phenyl}propanoic Acids

The synthesis of （S）-2-（3-arylacrylamido）-3-{4-[2-（5-methyl-2-phenyloxazol-4-yl）etho- xy]phenyl}propanoic acids is described. Their structures were confirmed by ^1H-NMR.

Prenatal and Postnatal Exposures to 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetra Hydropyridine (MPTP) Impaired Mouse Midbrain Dopamine System and May Produce a Predisposing and Inducing Model for Parkinson’s Disease

Dopamine cell bodies in the substantia nigra of the midbrain and with their terminals projecting to the neostriatum form the nigrostriatum and these dopamine neurons degenerate in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Based on metabolic and func- tional specialization of the cell bodies versus the axon terminals, the level and disposition of dopamine, its metabolites and enzymes are different in both regions and are likely to be affected differently in PD. We examined changes in the midbrain dopamine system following 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), to test the hypothesis that a predisposing/sensitization stage and a inducing/precipitating stage underlie PD. Pregnant mice were treated with a low dose of MPTP during gestation days 8 - 12 to model the predisposing/sensitization stage, by interrupting the fetal mid- brain dopamine system during its neurogenesis. For the inducing/precipitating stage, the 12-weeks offspring were ad- ministered MPTP. The prenatal-MPTP offspring appear normal, but midbrain dopamine, 3,4-di-hydroxy-phenyl-acetic- acid, 3-methoxytyramine, tyrosine-hydroxylase and L-aromatic-amino-acid-decarboxylase, were reduced by 49.6%, 48%, 54%, 20.9% and 25%. Postnatal-MPTP of 10, 20, 30 mg/kg administered to the prenatal-PBS vs prenatal-MPTP offspring reduced midbrain dopamine by 43.6%, 47.2%, 70.3% vs 85.4%, 89.1%, 95.2%;tyrosine-hydroxylase by 30%, 63%, 81% vs 30.7%, 70.4%, 91.4%;L-aromatic-amino-acid-decarboxylase by 0%, 2%, 40% vs 32%, 40%, 58%. The prenatal-MPTP may render the DA system sensitive by causing sub-threshold reduction of DA, its metabolites and en- zymes, enabling postnatal-MPTP to reduce dopamine above the 70% - 80% PD-inducing threshold. Thus, the study may produce a prenatal predisposing/sensitization and postnatal inducing/precipitation model of PD. It also indicates that some cases of PD may have a fetal basis, in which sub-threshold nigrostriatal impairments occur early in life and PD-symptoms are induced during aging by further insults to the dopaminergic system that would not cause PD symptoms in normal indi-viduals.