[Establishment of the organotypic model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from the SD rats' spinal cord].
OBJECTIVE
To establish an in vitro model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) from the organotypic culture of SD rats' lumber spinal cord induced by the mitochondrial inhibitor,malonate sodium.


METHODS
The lumber spinal cord prepared from the 6-day-old SD rats was cut into 350 microm coronarily, cultured on the Millicell-CM inserts which make the spinal cord culturing on the interface between air and fluid. First, the optimum malonate sodium dose was determined by adding different doses into the medium and counting the living motor neuron numbers by using immuno-histochemistry staining. Second, the ALS model was established as following: the cultures were divided into the malonate groups and the control groups, adding 2 mmol/L sodium malonate into the medium of the malonate groups an the 3rd day, continue culture to 12 days with this concentration; the control groups culturing without malonate.


RESULTS
The organotypic characteristics are still kept till the end of the curlturing. After adding the sodium malonate, counting the number of motor neurons and interneurons on the different spinal slices in the different groups, the number of motor neuron in the cultured spinal cord was less than control (11.00+/-2.45 vs 15.29+/-1.70 per semislice at the end of the culturing, P<0.01), but the difference of the interneuron was not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model is successful with selective injury of motor neuron, and this model can be used for the exploring of the theraptic method and its pathogenesis.
Diao
Zeng-yan
ZY
Department of Neurology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100083, China.
Shen
Yang
Y
Fan
Dong-sheng
DS
Zheng
Mei
M
Cui
Jin-yan
JY
Sun
A-ping
AP
Song
De-mao
DM
Fan
Shao-guang
SG
D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008314:Malonates; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*
D008314:Malonates; C030290:malonic acid