Xylazine promotes axonal regeneration in the crushed optic nerve of adult rats.
Xylazine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, activates the endogenous trophic factors and neuronal survival signaling. Here, we tested the regenerative effect of xylazine on damaged optic nerve axons in adult rats. After optic nerve crush, xylazine was intraperitoneally injected into three groups of rats: a single administration immediately after the crush, intermittent administration, and daily administration. On day 14, the regenerated axons were quantitatively evaluated by anterograde labeling. Everyday administration but neither single nor intermittent administration markedly increased the number of labeled axons beyond the crush site, with upregulation of growth-associated protein-43 in the ganglion cell layer and the regenerated axons. It was concluded that xylazine promotes axonal regeneration in damaged optic nerves of adult rats.
Kurimoto
Takuji
T
Department of Ophthalmology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. kurimoto@hyo-med.ac.jp
Ishii
Masaaki
M
Tagami
Yuichi
Y
Nishimura
Masashi
M
Miyoshi
Tomomitsu
T
Tsukamoto
Yoshihiko
Y
Mimura
Osamu
O
D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D014991:Xylazine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D014991:Xylazine; D002772:Cholera Toxin