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Environmental factors involved in axonal regeneration following spinal cord transection in rats

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Abstract

A recent study of a rat model treated with grafted collagen filament (CF) after spinal cord transection showed dramatic recovery of motor function but did not report on the acute-stage phenomenon. In the present study, we describe molecular and histological aspects of the axonal regeneration process during the acute stage following spinal cord transection. The spinal cord of 8-week-old rats was completely transected, and a scaffold of almost the same size as the resected portion was implanted in the gap. Changes in the mRNA expression of four neurotrophic factors [nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), NT-3, and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)] were analyzed after 72 h. The expression of BDNF and NT-3 mRNA increased significantly in the CF-grafted group compared to the nongrafted group. Immunostaining for BDNF and NT-3 revealed that cells positive for these neurotrophic factors extended along the collagen filaments in the CF-grafted group. Similarly, astrocytes extended into the collagen filament scaffold together with the neurotrophic factors and partly across a border line. These findings indicate that collagen filament helps to reduce scar tissue, supports the expression of neurotrophic factors, and serves as a scaffold for the outgrowth of regenerating axons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minamikogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan

    Takahiro Yara, Yoshihiko Kato, Hideo Kataoka, Tsukasa Kanchiku, Hidenori Suzuki & Toshihiko Taguchi

  2. Department of Surgical Pathology, Yamaguchi University Hospital, Ube, Japan

    Toshikazu Gondo

  3. Yoshii Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Kansai Denryoku Hospital, Osaka, Japan

    Satoru Yoshii

Authors
  1. Takahiro Yara
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  2. Yoshihiko Kato
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  3. Hideo Kataoka
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  4. Tsukasa Kanchiku
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  5. Hidenori Suzuki
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  6. Toshikazu Gondo
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  7. Satoru Yoshii
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  8. Toshihiko Taguchi
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Correspondence to Hidenori Suzuki.

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Yara, T., Kato, Y., Kataoka, H. et al. Environmental factors involved in axonal regeneration following spinal cord transection in rats. Med Mol Morphol 42, 150–154 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00795-009-0454-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00795-009-0454-y

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