title: Autofluorescence properties of rat cerebellum cortex during postnatal development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The multilayered structure of rat neocerebellum cortex (VI-VIII lobules of the vermis) during postnatal development undergoes rearrangements, which in turn are affected by treatment with the anti-tumoral drug cisplatin. The dependence of autofluorescence emission properties on the tissue structural and molecular features has been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Autofluorescence analysis was performed at defined time points of cerebellar histogenesis--11, 17, and 30 postnatal days- under normal conditions or after 5 microg/g body weight cisplatin treatment at 10 postnatal day. Autofluorescence signal was analyzed in vivo at the surface of intact lobules of cerebellum vermis by means of fiber optic spectrofluorometry, or on tissue sections by means of microspectrofluorometry and fluorescence imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vivo spectroscopy showed changes of autofluorescence signal both during normal histogenesis and after cisplatin treatment. External granular layer (EGL) and molecular layer (ML), that is, the more external layers were found to be interested by structural alterations, and showed the greatest changes in signal amplitude, accounting for the in vivo results. Fitting analysis indicated that changes in spectral shape reflected an increase in oxidative damages induced by cisplatin treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results confirm the relationship of the autofluorescence emission properties with histological and biochemical features of biological tissue.
authors.affiliation: IGM-CNR, Histochemistry & Cytometry Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology, Cell Biology and Neurobiology Laboratory, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Croce
authors.forename: Maria B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Pisu
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roda
authors.forename: Debora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Avella
authors.forename: Graziella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernocchi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bottiroli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000254:growth & development*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence