title: Bismuth-induced neuronal cell death in rat dorsal root ganglion: a stereological study.
abstract: The goal of the present study has been to quantify the morphological changes in myelinated nerve roots and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells in rats exposed to bismuth subnitrate. Male Wistar rats (n =30) were divided into three groups of ten animals. The ten animals in each group were given intraperitoneal injections of one of the following: (1) 500 mg/kg bismuth subnitrate, (2) 1,000 mg/kg bismuth subnitrate, or (3) saline. The mean total cell number of B-cells in the DRG was significantly smaller in the two treated groups, 18% (2P <0.001) and 23% (2P <0.001), respectively, than it was in the control group. In addition, there was an 11% reduction in the number of A-cells (2P =0.039) in rats exposed to the highest concentration of bismuth. Bismuth did not affect the total number or mean cross sectional area of axons and myelin sheaths of the myelinated nerve fibers in the ventral or dorsal nerve root of the DRG. This is the first study to investigate pathological changes of the peripheral nervous system after bismuth intoxication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. ms@neuro.au.dk
authors.forename: Meredin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoltenberg
authors.forename: Jørgen D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Schiønning
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Gorm
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Danscher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000863:Antacids / Q000633:toxicity*; D001729:Bismuth / Q000633:toxicity*; D002452:Cell Count; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000863:Antacids; C010804:bismuth subnitrate; D001729:Bismuth