Abstract
Iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) is a synthetic nitrile that produces permanent behavioral syndrome characterized by repetitive head movements, circling and back walking in rodents. Other synthetic nitriles of industrial importance such as crotonitrile and allylnitrile are also able to produce similar motor deficits in experimental animals. Among these nitriles, IDPN has been recognized as a prototype nitrile to be used as a positive control for behavioral testing battery. Due to the well-defined behavioral deficits and their easy quantification, IDPN-induced behavioral syndrome is a preferential animal model to test the interaction of various agents with synthetic nitriles. The mechanism of IDPN-induced dyskinesia is multifactorial. This short review focuses on the roles of neurotransmitters, oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of IDPN-induced neurotoxicity and behavioral deficits.