Study of mitotic activity and degeneration of cells in the dorsolateral wall of the anterior cerebral vesicle in rat embryos on the model of ectopic neurotransplantation.

Ectopic neurotransplantation can be used as an in vivo culture method for evaluation of the effect of various environmental factors (neurotransmitters, cytokines, and other bioactive substances) on histogenesis of the developing brain. The study was performed 1 day after allotransplantation of neocortical primordia from embryos of rats receiving intraperitoneal injection of p-chlorophenylalanine on day 11 of pregnancy. Under these experimental conditions the number of degenerating cells increased, while the count of mitotic neuroepithelial cells was 2.5-fold lower compared to neurotransplants of intact embryos at the same stage of development. Incubation of neocortical primordia in serotonin-containing medium before transplantation prevented cell death and promoted division of transplanted cells. Serotonin plays a role in the regulation of neuroepithelial cell proliferation and prevents cell death in the developing neocortex.