Summary
The neurotrophic effects of ebiratide, an ACTH4–9 analog, have been examined using both fetal rat septal cultures and aged rats. The 5-day treatment with ebiratide (10–100 pmol/ml) partially prevented neuronal degeneration that occurred in the cultures in which cells were sparsely plated. Ebiratide (10 pmol/ ml) increased choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities up to 1.5 and 1.2 times the respective control values in the sub-confluent cultures. AChE cytochemistry of the cultures has shown that ebiratide increased the stained area per cell. Ebiratide subcutaneously administered by constant infusion (10 nmol/body/hr) for 4 weeks elevated ChAT activities in the septum (35% over control), neocortex (79%) and hippocampus (89%) of aged rats. Thus, the present study indicates that ebiratide shares neurotrophic properties which may prove beneficial in the therapy for CNS degenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease.
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Matsumoto, T., Tsuda, S. & Nakamura, S. The neurotrophic effects of ebiratide, an analog of ACTH4–9, on cultured septal cells and aged rats. J. Neural Transmission 100, 1–15 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01276861
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01276861