NT-4/5 reduces naturally occurring retinal ganglion cell death in neonatal rats.
The retrograde nucleophilic tracer diamidino yellow (DY) was injected into the left superior colliculi of 2-day-old rats. Two days later, right eyes were injected with either neurotrophin NT-4/5, cycloheximide (CHX), MK-801 and DNQX (glutamate receptor antagonists), or saline. Almost all rats were perfused 6-7 h later and the numbers of normal and pyknotic DY-labelled retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were determined from retinal whole mounts. In controls (no eye injection) the proportion of pyknotic RGCs was 1.04%. This level of naturally occurring death was significantly reduced after injection of NT-4/5 (0.34%); normal RGC density was also higher in this group. RGC pyknosis was increased after saline (1.21%), MK-801/DNQX (1.22%) or CHX (1.48%) injections but only in the latter case was the increase significantly greater than control.
Department of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth.
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D000578:Amidines; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects*
D000578:Amidines; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011810:Quinoxalines; C071951:neurotrophin 5; C056723:FG 9041; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; C037945:diamidino yellow; D003513:Cycloheximide; C073922:neurotrophin 4