Peripheral nerve extract promotes long-term survival and neurite outgrowth in cultured spinal cord neurons (original) (raw)

Neurotrophic Factors and Their Receptors in Axonal Regeneration and Functional Recovery After Peripheral Nerve Injury

Molecular Neurobiology, 2003

Over a half a century of research has confirmed that neurotrophic factors promote the survival and process outgrowth of isolated neurons in vitro. The mechanisms by which neurotrophic factors mediate these survival-promoting effects have also been well characterized. In vivo, peripheral neurons are critically dependent on limited amounts of neurotrophic factors during development. After peripheral nerve injury, the adult mammalian peripheral nervous system responds by making neurotrophic factors once again available, either by autocrine or paracrine sources. Three families of neurotrophic factors were compared, the neurotrophins, the GDNF family of neurotrophic factors, and the neuropoetic cytokines. Following a general overview of the mechanisms by which these neurotrophic factors mediate their effects, we reviewed the temporal pattern of expression of the neurotrophic factors and their receptors by axotomized motoneurons as well as in the distal nerve stump after peripheral nerve injury. We discussed recent experiments from our lab and others which have examined the role of neurotrophic factors in peripheral nerve injury. Although our understanding of the mechanisms by which neurotrophic factors mediate their effects in vivo are poorly understood, evidence is beginning to emerge that similar phenomena observed in vitro also apply to nerve regeneration in vivo.

Differential Regulation of Nerve Growth Factor and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression in the Peripheral Nervous System

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1991

In newborn rats the levels of nerve growth fa tor (NGF) mRNA (mRNANGF) and NGF receptor mRNA ( A') in the sciatic nerve were 10 and 120 times higher, r pectively, than in adult animals. mRNAL levels decreased st adily from birth, approaching adult levels by the third stnatal week, whereas mRNANUF levels decreased only after th first postnatal week, although also reaching adult levels by the third week. Transection of the adult sciatic nerve resulted in a marked biphasic increase in mRNANGF with time. On the p oximal side of the cut, this increase was confined to the area immediately adjacent to the cut; peripherally, a similar biphasic increase was present in all segments. mRNAL levels were al markedly elevated distal to the transection site, in agreem nt with previous results obtained by immunological methods aniuchi, M., Clark, H. B. & Johnson, E. M., Jr. (1986) P oc. Nal. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 4094-4098]. Following a crush le ion (allowing regeneration), the mRNA1 levels were rapidly

The role of neurotrophic factors in nerve regeneration

Neurosurgical Focus, 2009

This review considers the 2 sources of neurotrophic factors in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the neurons and the nonneuronal cells in the denervated distal nerve stumps, and their role in axon regeneration. Morphological assessment of regenerative success in response to administration of exogenous growth factors after nerve injury and repair has indicated a role of the endogenous neurotrophic factors from Schwann cells in the distal nerve stump. However, the increased number of axons may reflect more neurons regenerating their axons and/or increased numbers of axon sprouts from the same number of neurons. Using fluorescent dyes to count neurons that regenerated their axons across a suture site and into distal nerve stumps, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) were found not to increase the number of neurons that regenerated their axons after immediate nerve repair. Nevertheless, the factors did reverse the deleterious effe...

Axotomy Upregulates the Anterograde Transport and Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor by Sensory Neurons

1998

In addition to the known retrograde transport of neurotrophins, it is now evident that endogenous brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is transported in the anterograde direction in peripheral and central neurons. We used a double-ligation procedure that distinguishes between anterograde and retrograde flow to quantify the anterograde transport of endogenous neurotrophins and neuropeptides in the peripheral nervous system before and after axotomy. BDNF accumulation proximal to the ligation (anterograde transport) was twice that distal to the ligation (retrograde direction). Anterograde transport of nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 was not evident. Furthermore, BDNF anterograde transport increased 3.5-fold within 24 hr after sciatic nerve injury or dorsal rhizotomy. Anterograde transport of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide decreased after peripheral nerve lesion, demonstrating that there was no generalized increase in anterograde transport. To determine the source of the anterogradely transported BDNF, we performed in situ hybridization in a variety of tissues before and after axotomy. Expression of BDNF mRNA in proximal nerve segments did not change with treatment, showing that the increased accumulation of BDNF was not a result of increased local synthesis. BDNF mRNA and protein were expressed by dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons but not by motor neurons. BDNF mRNA expression was increased 1 d after nerve injury, and BDNF protein was also increased twofold to threefold, suggesting that sensory neurons are the major contributing source of the increased BDNF traffic in the sciatic nerve. Our results suggest that increased anterogradely transported BDNF plays a role in the early neuronal response to peripheral nerve injury at sites distal to the cell body.

Dose-Dependent Differential Effect of Neurotrophic Factors on In Vitro and In Vivo Regeneration of Motor and Sensory Neurons

Neural Plasticity, 2016

Although peripheral axons can regenerate after nerve transection and repair, functional recovery is usually poor due to inaccurate reinnervation. Neurotrophic factors promote directional guidance to regenerating axons and their selective application may help to improve functional recovery. Hence, we have characterized in organotypic cultures of spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia the effect of GDNF, FGF-2, NGF, NT-3, and BDNF at different concentrations on motor and sensory neurite outgrowth. In vitro results show that GDNF and FGF-2 enhanced both motor and sensory neurite outgrowth, NGF and NT-3 were the most selective to enhance sensory neurite outgrowth, and high doses of BDNF selectively enhanced motor neurite outgrowth. Then, NGF, NT-3, and BDNF (as the most selective factors) were delivered in a collagen matrix within a silicone tube to repair the severed sciatic nerve of rats. Quantification of Fluorogold retrolabeled neurons showed that NGF and NT-3 did not show preferential...

Development of survival responsiveness to brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin 3 and neurotrophin 4/5, but not to nerve growth factor, in cultured motoneurons from chick embryo spinal cord

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 1998

During embryonic development, most neuronal populations undergo a process usually referred to as naturally occurring neuronal death. For motoneurons (MTNs) of the lumbar spinal cord of chick embryos, this process takes place in a well defined period of time, between embryonic days 6 and 10 (E6-E10). Neurotrophins (NTs) are the best characterized family of neurotrophic factors and exert their effects through activation of their specific Trk receptors. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that rodent motoneurons survive in response to BDNF, NT3, and NT4/5. In contrast, the trophic dependencies of chicken motoneurons have been difficult to elucidate, and various apparently conflicting reports have been published. In the present study, we describe how freshly isolated motoneurons from E5.5 chick embryos did not respond to any neurotrophin in vitro. Yet, because motoneurons were maintained alive in culture in the presence of muscle extract, they developed a delayed specific sur...

Skeletal muscle extract and nerve growth factor have developmentally regulated survival promoting effects on distinct populations of mammalian sensory neurons

Muscle & Nerve, 1993

Neurotrophic factors appear to be relevant to the therapy of degenerative diseases as well as neural regeneration. In this respect, we have investigated the neurotrophic effects of skeletal muscle extract on DRG neuron survival by examining the survival and neurite outgrowth promoting activity of factor(s) present in skeletal muscle extracts (SME) on dissociated cultures of embryonic or early postnatal mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons. The numbers of surviving neurons resulting from SME addition increased continuously from embryonic day 13 (15%) to birth (55%), then decreased up to 7 days after hatching (0%). Preliminary characterization of the factor(s) present in SME suggests that the active molecule is a protein different from the known neurotrophic factors NGF, BDNF, NT3, CNTF, and bFGF, and that its neurotrophic effect is not mediated by direct interaction with the substratum.

Survival of chronically-injured neurons can be prolonged by treatment with neurotrophic factors

Neuroscience, 1999

Axonal regeneration by chronically-injured supraspinal neurons can be enhanced by neurotrophic factor treatment at the site of injury, although the number of regenerating neurons decreases as the interval between spinal cord injury and treatment increases. This study investigated whether this decline in regenerative response could be due to continued loss of neurons during the post-injury period. Adult rats received a cervical hemisection lesion and axotomized neurons were labeled by retrograde transport of True Blue from the lesion site. Animals were killed one, four or eight weeks after injury and surviving neurons (True Blue-labeled) were counted in the red nucleus and lateral vestibular nucleus. The neuron number in the lateral vestibular nucleus was stable for eight weeks after spinal cord injury, while survival in the red nucleus decreased by 25% between four and eight weeks. To test how neurons respond to a second injury with or without trophic factor treatment, at four, eigh...

The differential effects of pathway- versus target-derived glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor on peripheral nerve regeneration

Journal of Neurosurgery, 2010

Object Glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has potent survival effects on central and peripheral nerve populations. The authors examined the differential effects of GDNF following either a sciatic nerve crush injury in mice that overexpressed GDNF in the central or peripheral nervous systems (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]–GDNF) or in the muscle target (Myo-GDNF). Methods Adult mice (GFAP-GDNF, Myo-GDNF, or wild-type [WT] animals) underwent sciatic nerve crush and were evaluated using histomorphometry and muscle force and power testing. Uninjured WT animals served as controls. Results In the sciatic nerve crush, the Myo-GDNF mice demonstrated a higher number of nerve fibers, fiber density, and nerve percentage (p < 0.05) at 2 weeks. The early regenerative response did not result in superlative functional recovery. At 3 weeks, GFAP-GDNF animals exhibit fewer nerve fibers, decreased fiber width, and decreased nerve percentage compared with WT and Myo-GDNF mic...