title: Developmental effect of dimethyl sulfoxide on hypothalamo-neurohypophysial neurons in vitro.
abstract: Primary dissociated cultures were established from diencephalic tissue of 14-day-old fetal rats. Neurons exhibiting immunocytochemical staining for neurophysin appeared in these cultures after 6 days of cultivation. Addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to the culture medium resulted in a slight decrease in total neuronal cell mass as assessed by immunocytochemistry and radio-immunometric quantitation of neuron-specific enolase. In contrast, in DMSO-treated cultures the number of neurophysin-immunoreactive neurons was more than doubled as compared to control cultures. [3H]Thymidine labeling and autoradiography in conjunction with immunocytochemistry for neurophysin showed that this was not due to a mitogenic effect of DMSO on precursor cells. Time-course analysis of the action of DMSO revealed a 6-day time lag between the initiation of treatment and the appearance of increased numbers of neurophysin-immunoreactive cells. These findings suggest that DMSO, which has previously been reported to have a differentiation-inducing effect on malignant transformed cells, may also modulate cellular processes that control differentiation in specific types of neurons in primary culture.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Anatomie und Zellbiologie der Universität Ulm, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pilgrim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000276:immunology; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D010904:Pituitary Gland, Posterior / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats / Q000196:embryology; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013936:Thymidine; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009481:Neurophysins; D004247:DNA; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase; D013936:Thymidine; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide