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Degeneration of peripheral nervous system in rats experimentally induced by methylmercury intoxication

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to elucidate the primary action of methylmercury chloride (MMC) intoxication on peripheral nervous system. We chronologically observed the pathological changes of sciatic nerve, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, ventral and dorsal roots in rats given 4 mg/kg/day of MMC on consecutive days and killed on days 11, 15, 18 and 21. On day 11, an initial axonal degeneration of type B neuron occurred, predominantly in the distal portions of sciatic nerve. The DRG type A neuron was infiltrated by MRF-1-positive macrophages on day 11. Electron microscopy also demonstrated degenerated mitochondria in type A neuron. On day 21, most of type A neurons seemed to have disappeared. However, type B neurons were well preserved. Immunoblotting with monoclonal antibodies, P0 and neurofilament, demonstrated that both of proteins significantly decreases from day 15. In conclusion, these results indicate that the primary action on type A neuron is the neuron body that consequently results in an anterograde degeneration of nerve fibers, while the type B neuron degeneration occurs in a dying-back process in this subacute model. These findings suggest that the mechanisms involved in the degeneration induced by MMC vary and may depend on certain intrinsic factors peculiar to these neurons.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to express our gratitude to Dr. Yoshimura K and Dr. Tanaka Shuuitsu, in the Hokkaido University School of Medicine for they generously provided antibodies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Jinan General Military Hospital, Shifan street 25, Jinan, 250031, China

    Bingzhen Cao, Wei Lv, Shan Jin, Jigang Tang, Shuicai Wang, Heling Zhao, Hongwei Guo, Jing Su & Xia Cao

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  1. Bingzhen Cao
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  2. Wei Lv
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  3. Shan Jin
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  4. Jigang Tang
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  5. Shuicai Wang
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  6. Heling Zhao
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  7. Hongwei Guo
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  8. Jing Su
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  9. Xia Cao
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Correspondence to Bingzhen Cao.

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Cao, B., Lv, W., Jin, S. et al. Degeneration of peripheral nervous system in rats experimentally induced by methylmercury intoxication. Neurol Sci 34, 663–669 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-1100-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-1100-3

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