Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has multiple biological activities, which has significance in development, differentiation and damage repair of nervous system.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of CNTF on the expression of glia fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the corresponding segment spinal anterior horn astrocytes after anastomosing apocoptic sciatic nerve in rats.
METHODS: Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, model, saline and medicine groups. All rats were performed anastomosing apocoptic operation at both sciatic nerves except that in the control group. CNTF and saline were injected into rats in the medicine and saline groups, 100 ng/kg, once per day. The corresponding spinal segments were obtained at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after the operation, and the expression of GFAP was observed by immunohistochemistry, and the number of neurons in the anterior horn of spinal cord was counted by hematoxylin-eosin staining and TUNEL staining.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The astrocytes in the anterior horn of spinal cord became bigger after anastomosing apocoptic both sciatic nerves operation, neurites increased and became thickening, neurons apoptosis less, the expression of GFAP increased. Compared with the model and saline groups, the survival neurons were increased, apoptotic neurons decreased, and the expression of GFAP protein were greater in the medicine group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Simultaneously, the rats in the medicine group were suffered slightly motor dysfunction and recovered faster those of other groups. The results illustrate that CNTF has neuroprotective effect via promoting the high expression of GFAP in the anterior horn of spinal cord after anastomosing apocoptic sciatic nerve in rats.