Effect of Neuregen nutrient medium on survival of cortical neurons after aspiration lesion in rats.
OBJECTIVE
During brain surgery, it would be beneficial to irrigate the surgical cavity with a solution that promotes neuronal growth and survival. The authors find that incubation of cultured neurons with normal saline, also known as buffered salts, which are often used in brain surgery in humans, does not support neuron survival. Neuregen is an optimized serum-free culture medium that promotes regeneration of adult rat and human central nervous system neurons in vitro. It includes balanced salts, glucose, amino acids, vitamins, essential fatty acids, hormones, antioxidants, and other ingredients. The authors hypothesize that brain lesions irrigated and soaked in Neuregen nutrients will have better neuron survival rates in deafferented regions than lesions irrigated with saline.


METHODS
Lesioning of the rat fimbria-fornix area was achieved by aspiration through the cortex; animals were killed 4 weeks later. Brain sections were stained with cresyl violet for neuron counts in the medial septum and cortex. Treatment of the lesion cavity with Neuregen resulted in a 55% increase in neuron density in the septum compared with saline treatment (p = 0.02). Cortical lesions treated with Neuregen showed a 27% increase in neuron density compared with saline-treated lesions (p = 0.015); the neuron density in Neuregen-treated rat brains was equivalent to that seen with sham treatment. Efficacy of Neuregen with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was significantly better than with Dulbecco modified Eagle medium bFGF, but not better than Neuregen alone. Neuregen produced a coincidental fourfold reduction in glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity at 4 weeks compared with saline (p = 0.002), to levels equivalent to those found in sham lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that a highly optimized nutrient medium promotes neuron survival after brain surgery.
Brewer
Gregory J
GJ
Department of Neurology, Medical Microbiology, and Immunology, Division of Neurosurgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9626, USA. gbrewer@siumed.edu
Espinosa
Jose A
JA
Struble
Robert G
RG
D000818:Animals; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002452:Cell Count; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D046508:Culture Techniques; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D020712:Fornix, Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014022:Tissue Survival / Q000187:drug effects
D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors