Effects of nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 on the laminar distribution of transganglionically fransported choleragenoid in the spinal cord dorsal horn following transection of the sciatic nerve in the adult rat.

Spinal cord projections from transected sciatic nerves treated with different neurotrophins were investigated in the adult rat following injections of choleragenoid into the proximal stump of the injured nerve. Transganglionically transported choleragenoid labelled primary afferent fibres in all spinal cord dorsal horn laminae except the outer part of lamina II (II(o)), which is almost devoid of labelling. Transection of the sciatic nerve, however, resulted in intense transganglionic choleragenoid labelling in lamina II(o) and in lamina I. In this study, the sciatic nerve was transected bilaterally and 4erve growth factor (6 or 24 microg), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (20 microg), neurotrophin-3 (27 microg) or cytochrome C (8 microg; control substance) was applied unilaterally during postoperative survival times of eight, 16 and 32 days. The animals received bilateral injections of choleragenoid into the injured nerve two days before they were killed. The effect of the axotomy and neurotrophin treatment was evaluated by analysing the extent of choleragenoid and substance P immunoreactivity in the somatotopically appropriate spinal cord dorsal horn regions. At eight days' postoperative survival, laminae I and II(o) on the transected, non-treated side showed much more intense choleragenoid-like immunoreactivity compared to the contralateral transected, nerve growth factor-treated (6 and 24 microg) side. A similar situation was also found in cases treated with the higher dose (24 microg) at 16 days but to a lesser degree when the lower (6 microg) dose was used. After 32 days' survival, there was no detectable side difference in the choleragenoid labelling pattern. At 16 days' survival, the mean area of choleragenoid-positive ganglion cell body profiles in the L5 dorsal root ganglion of the transected, non-treated side was significantly smaller than the mean area of the transected, nerve growth factor-treated (24 microg) neurons. An axotomy-induced depletion of substance P-like immunoreactivity was seen from eight days' survival and onwards, whereas on the nerve growth factor-treated side a clearcut substance P depletion was not observed until 32 days. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3 and cytochrome C had no detectable effects on the distribution of choleragenoid labelling or substance P-like immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn following sciatic nerve transection. In conclusion, peripheral nerve injury-induced expansion of primary afferent choleragenoid labelling in the spinal cord dorsal horn is counteracted by treating the axotomized nerve with nerve growth factor.