Naftidrofuryl, a putative activator of neuron survival, stimulates the expression of neurofilament heavy subunit in cultivated spinal cord neurons from chicken.
The effect of naftidrofuryl, a drug used in ischemia for its vasodilator properties and its protective effect on neuronal survival, was investigated on the maturation of cultured chicken spinal cord neurons, focusing on the presence of proteins specific for the developing neuronal cytoskeleton. Although no influence of naftidrofuryl on the rate of growth of neurites was observed, the drug enhanced the relative amount of the high molecular weight neurofilament subunit without affecting the concentration of a microtubule-associated protein, MAP2. These findings suggest that the effect of naftidrofuryl on cultured spinal cord neurons might involve molecular events directly associated with the induction of a mature cytoskeleton architecture, instead of stimulating undifferentiated neurite growth.
Leterrier
J F
JF
INSERM U298, CHRU Angers, France.
Maher
A
A
Eyer
J
J
Gou
J P
JP
Haddad
K
K
Pouplard-Berthelaix
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D009257:Nafronyl / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D009257:Nafronyl