Accumulation of nerve growth factor protein at both rostral and caudal stumps in the transected rat spinal cord

Yutaka Murakami, Shoei Furukawa, Atsumi Nitta, Yoshiko Furukawa*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Changes in the nerve growth factor (NGF) content in the rat spinal cord during development or after traumatic spinal cord injury were examined by using a two-site enzyme immunoassay (EIA) system and an immunohistochemical technique. From embryonic day (E) 14 to postnatal day (P) 70, the spinal cord contained 200-300 pg NGF/g of wet tissue evenly in all regions tested. After complete spinal cord transection of P49 rats, the NGF level started to increase in the rostral and caudal stumps nearest to the injury site at 2 and 4 days, respectively. The NGF level of the caudal side returned to the original level by 2 weeks, but that of the rostral side remained high even 3 weeks, after the injury. At 4 days after the injury, NGF-like immunoreactivity in both stumps was predominantly localized in the axon-like structures of the white matter and in cells morphologically resembling immune cells. These observations suggest that the NGF was transported within the spinal tracts, and that NGF secreted from immune cells that had invaded into the injured spinal cord had accumulated around the transection site. Increased NGF at the injury site may be advantageous for injured neurons and involved in mechanisms directing to axonal regeneration of the injured spinal cord.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)63-69
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of the Neurological Sciences
Volume198
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002/06/15

Keywords

  • Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Motoneurons
  • Nerve growth factor (NGF)
  • Neurotrophin
  • Spinal cord transection

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neurology
  • Clinical Neurology

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