6-hydroxydopamine

6-hydroxydopamine is a synthetic small-molecule neurotoxin that selectively destroys catecholaminergic neurons via uptake by dopamine and noradrenaline transporters. Its mechanism is based on the production of cytolytic free radicals within these neurons, leading to oxidative stress, mitochondrial inhibition, and cell death. 6-hydroxydopamine is used extensively in neuroscience research to induce selective lesions in dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons—most notably for creating animal models of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. It does not cross the blood-brain barrier and must be administered directly to the target CNS location. It is not developed as a pharmaceutical for clinical use, but rather as a research tool for modeling neurodegenerative diseases and studying mechanisms of neuronal cell death[3][6][7][8][9].

Other names

oxidopamine2,4,5-trihydroxyphenethylamine5-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2,4-triol2,5-dihydroxytyramine2-(2,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)ethylamine