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Spinal cord transection modifies neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in medullar reticular nuclei and in the spinal cord and increases parvalbumin immunopositivity in motoneurons below the site of injury in experimental rabbits.

Abstract
Using immunohistochemistry, we detected the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in ventral medullary gigantocellular reticular nuclei and in the lumbosacral spinal cord 10 days after thoracic transection in experimental rabbits. We tried to determine whether neurons located below the site of injury are protected by the calcium binding protein parvalbumin (PV). Changes of nNOS immunoreactivity (IR) in spinal cord were correlated with the level of nNOS protein in dorsal and ventral horns. Ten days after transection, nNOS was upregulated predominantly in lateral gigantocellular nuclei. In the spinal cord, we revealed a significant increase of nNOS protein in the dorsal horn. This is consistent with a higher density of punctate and fiber-like immunostaining for nNOS in laminae III-IV and the up-regulation of nNOS-IR in neurons of the deep dorsal horn. After surgery, the perikarya of motoneurons remained nNOS immunonegative. Contrary to nNOS, the PV-IR was upregulated in α-motoneurons and small-sized neurons of the ventral horn. However, its expression was considerably reduced in neurons of the deep dorsal horn. The findings indicate that spinal transection affects nNOS and PV in different neuronal circuits.
AuthorsNadežda Lukáčová, Alexandra Kisucká, Jaroslav Pavel, Ludmila Hricová, Andrea Kucharíková, Ján Gálik, Martin Maršala, Jozef Langfort, Malgorzata Chalimoniuk
JournalActa histochemica (Acta Histochem) Vol. 114 Issue 5 Pg. 518-24 (Sep 2012) ISSN: 1618-0372 [Electronic] Germany
PMID22000862 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
CopyrightCopyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Chemical References
  • Parvalbumins
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I
Topics
  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Motor Neurons (immunology, metabolism)
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I (immunology, metabolism)
  • Parvalbumins (analysis, immunology)
  • Rabbits
  • Raphe Nuclei (enzymology, immunology, metabolism)
  • Spinal Cord Injuries (immunology, metabolism, pathology)

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