title: Attenuation of Axonal Degeneration by Calcium Channel Inhibitors Improves Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival and Regeneration After Optic Nerve Crush.
abstract: Axonal degeneration is one of the initial steps in many traumatic and neurodegenerative central nervous system (CNS) disorders and thus a promising therapeutic target. A focal axonal lesion is followed by acute axonal degeneration (AAD) of both adjacent axon parts, before proximal and distal parts follow different degenerative fates at later time points. Blocking calcium influx by calcium channel inhibitors was previously shown to attenuate AAD after optic nerve crush (ONC). However, it remains unclear whether the attenuation of AAD also promotes consecutive axonal regeneration. Here, we used a rat ONC model to study the effects of calcium channel inhibitors on axonal degeneration, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival, and axonal regeneration, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved. Application of calcium channel inhibitors attenuated AAD after ONC and preserved axonal integrity as visualized by live imaging of optic nerve axons. Consecutively, this resulted in improved survival of RGCs and improved axonal regeneration at 28 days after ONC. We show further that calcium channel inhibition attenuated lesion-induced calpain activation in the proximity of the crush and inhibited the activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway. Pro-survival signaling via Akt in the retina was also increased. Our data thus show that attenuation of AAD improves consecutive neuronal survival and axonal regeneration and that calcium channel inhibitors could be valuable tools for therapeutic interventions in traumatic and degenerative CNS disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medicine Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Vinicius T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Ribas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medicine Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medicine Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medicine Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.|Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB), Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bähr
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medicine Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany. plingor@gwdg.de.|Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB), Göttingen, Germany. plingor@gwdg.de.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9362-7096
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lingor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers
keywords: Axon regeneration; Axonal degeneration; Calcium channels; Optic nerve crush; Retinal ganglion cells