| Author: | Wong, Wai-man |
| Title: | Effect of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and ciliary neurotrophic factor on motoneuron survival and regeneration after spinal root avulsion |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Neuroglia Nervous system -- Regeneration Spinal nerve roots -- Surgery Neurotrophic functions |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology |
| Pages: | viii, 57 leaves, [3] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Spinal root avulsion induces significant death and up-regulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in motoneurons. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNE) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) are neurotrophic factors that are reported to promote motoneuron survival after traumatic injuries. And, spinal root re-implantation is found to be effective in rescuing motoneurons after spinal root injuries. In this study, the seventh cervical (C7) spinal roots of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats are avulsed and re-implanted after treating motoneurons with GDNF or CNTF. The aim is to investigate the effect of these two neurotrophic factors on motoneuron survival, NOS expression and motoneuron regeneration after spinal root avulsion and re-implantation. The first part of this study determined the best and limited dose of GDNF that gave maximum survival support to motoneurons after root avulsion. Different doses of GDNE were injected to the C7 spinal nerve two days before root avulsion. Two or six weeks after root avulsion, sections of the C7 spinal cord were cut and stained. Survival of motoneurons was documented. Results showed that O.5 ug of GDNF was the best and limited dose in promoting motoneuron survival in two weeks. However, this effect lost after six weeks. Then, the effect of GDNF and CNTF on motoneuron survival, NOS expression and motoneuron regeneration after spinal root avulsion was studied. O.5ug of GDNF or l ug of CNTF was injected to the C7 spinal nerve two days before root avulsion. The avulsed root was re-implanted immediately after avulsion. The animals were then allowed to survive for two or six weeks. Three days before sacrificing the animals, a retrograde fluorescence dye, FluoroGold (FG), was injected to the spinal nerve to label the regenerated motoneurons. Sections of the C7 spinal cord were cut for fluorescence microscopy and NADPH-d histochemistry. Results showed that spinal root re-implantation was an effective means to rescue motoneurons up to six weeks. And, GDNF and CNTF promoted motoneuron survival in two weeks but their effect lost after six weeks. In addition, spinal root re-implantation, with or without GDNE pre-treatment, down regulated NOS expression at both time points but the same effect was not found in CNTF pre-treated motoneurons. Both neurotrophic factors showed no effect on promoting axon regeneration. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b16533069.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.64 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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