Direct neurotoxic effects of colchicine on cholinergic neurons in medial septum and striatum.
The mitotic/microtubule inhibitor, colchicine, is known to be neurotoxic to certain populations of neurons. We report here that a single intraventricular injection of colchicine exerts specific neurotoxic effects on cholinergic neurons while sparing GABAergic neurons in the medial septal nucleus and striatum. It is hypothesized that the colchicine-induced loss of choline acetyltransferase immunoreactive neurons represents degeneration of the cholinergic neurons as a result of disruption of the retrograde axoplasmic transport of a neurotrophic factor.
Peterson
G M
GM
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858-4354.
McGinty
J F
JF
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000032:analysis*; D003078:Colchicine / Q000633:toxicity*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D009498:Neurotoxins; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values
D009498:Neurotoxins; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D003078:Colchicine