Intensive anti-oxidant pretreatment retards motor nerve degeneration.
Intensive pretreatment of cats with a combination of the antioxidants D-alpha-tocopherol (200 IU) and selenium (50 micrograms) once daily for 5 days (p.o.) was found to significantly preserve the functional capacity of degenerating soleus motor nerve terminals (measured at 48 h after axon section at the hip) in the in vivo soleus nerve-muscle preparation. The preservation of function was apparent in terms of: a greater soleus contractile response to nerve stimulation at low frequencies, a more rapid recovery from D-tubocurarine-induced neuromuscular block, and a better maintenance of tetanic contractile tension during high-frequency nerve stimulation. The ability of antioxidants to retard the anterograde axonal degeneration (i.e. 'Wallerian') process suggests that lipid peroxidation may be a fundamental mechanism of neuronal degeneration.
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000378:metabolism; D012643:Selenium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects; D014403:Tubocurarine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000975:Antioxidants; D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D014810:Vitamin E; D012643:Selenium; D014403:Tubocurarine