title: The neuroprotective effects of NGF combined with GM1 on injured spinal cord neurons in vitro.
abstract: Monosialoganglioside (GM1) has been considered to have a neurotrophic factor-like activity. Nerve growth factor (NGF), a member of the neurotrophin family, is essential for neuronal survival, differentiation and maturation. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether co-administration of GM1 and NGF reverses glutamate (Glu) neurotoxicity in primary cultured rat embryonic spinal cord neurons. Spinal cord neurons were exposed to Glu (2 mmol/l), Glu (2 mmol/l) plus GM1 (10 mg/ml), Glu (2 mmol/l) plus NGF (10 ng/ml), Glu (2 mmol/l) plus GM1 (5 mg/ml) and NGF (5 ng/ml) and then processed for detecting intracellular concentrations of Ca2+([Ca2+]i) by confocal laser scanning microscopy and growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) mRNA by RT-PCR. The fluorescent intensity in Glu plus GM1 and NGF incubated neurons was the lowest as compared with that in other groups. The expression of GAP43 mRNA in Glu plus GM1 and NGF incubated neurons was the highest as compared with that in other groups. These results implicated that GM1 and NGF have synergistic neuroprotective effects on spinal cord neurons with excitotoxicity induced by Glu in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy, Binzhou Medical College, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Yantai 264003, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xifeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Luping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xuejun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dongmei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xianyong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Zhenzhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D002118:Calcium