Acidic fibroblast growth factor prevents death of spinal cord motoneurons in newborn rats after nerve section.
The death of spinal axotomised motoneurons provides a useful tool for studying neurotrophic factors which could prevent motoneuron loss in vivo. Median and ulnar nerves of newborn rats were unilaterally sectioned and topically treated with either a vehicle solution or acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF). aFGF treatment increased the survival of the median and ulnar spinal motoneurons, after 7 days of axotomy, from 37% to 63%. These results show that aFGF is a neurotrophic factor for newborn spinal motoneurons, and suggest that this protein is a potential therapeutic agent for preventing the death of damaged motoneurons.
Cuevas
P
P
Servicio de Histología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
Carceller
F
F
Giménez-Gallego
G
G
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003714:Denervation; D005260:Female; D016220:Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000601:surgery; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology; D013392:Sucralfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000601:surgery
D016220:Fibroblast Growth Factor 1; D013392:Sucralfate