[Protein concentration in the neuron--neuroglia system of the anterior horns of the spinal cord in rats following exposure to the tranquilizer diazepam against a background of anticipation stress].

Anticipation stress was induced in 16 day-old male rats by placing the animals daily for 7 days into individual cells for 45 min. In the end of each 45 min session, an electric stimulation of paws of the animals was done for 2 min. It was shown by visible cytospectrophotometry of amido black-stained spinal cord sections that the anticipation stress for 7 days resulted in an accumulation of the nuclear and cytoplasmic total proteins in the motoneurons of spinal cord anterior horns, with no changes in the body (in fact, in the nuclei) of the glial cells adjacent to the neurons. Intraperitoneal injection of the tranquilizer diazepam (10 mg per kg) 40 min. before the beginning of the last anticipation stress session gave rise to the return to the normal of the protein content per cell in the motoneuron nucleus and cytoplasm while inducing an increase in the quantity of neuroglia cell protein. Differences in the protein metabolism between the neurons and the neuroglia are discussed.