Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2015, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (11): 1865-1868.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.170318

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Endogenous neurotrophin-3 promotes neuronal sprouting from dorsal root ganglia

Xu-yang Wang1, 2, 3, Pei-yuan Gu1, Shi-wen Chen2, Wen-wei Gao2, Heng-li Tian2, *, Xiang-he Lu3, Wei-ming Zheng3, Qi-chuan Zhuge3, Wei-xing Hu1, *   

  1. 1 Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
    2 Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated 6th People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China
    3 Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • Online:2015-12-07 Published:2015-12-07
  • Contact: Wei-xing Hu, M.D., Ph.D. or Heng-li Tian, M.D., weixinghu@njmu.edu.cn or ltianhengli@163.com.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by grants from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, No. 20114351, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science Funding of Zhejiang Province of China, No. 2010ZB091 and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province of China, No. Y2090864.

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Abstract:

In the present study, we investigated the role of endogenous neurotrophin-3 in nerve terminal sprouting 2 months after spinal cord dorsal root rhizotomy. The left L1–5 and L7–S2 dorsal root ganglia in adult cats were exposed and removed, preserving the L6 dorsal root ganglia. Neurotrophin- 3 was mainly expressed in large neurons in the dorsal root ganglia and in some neurons in spinal lamina II. Two months after rhizotomy, the number of neurotrophin-3-positive neurons in the spared dorsal root ganglia and the density of neurite sprouts emerging from these ganglia were increased. Intraperitoneal injection of an antibody against neurotrophin-3 decreased the density of neurite sprouts. These findings suggest that endogenous neurotrophin-3 is involved in spinal cord plasticity and regeneration, and that it promotes axonal sprouting from the dorsal root ganglia after spinal cord dorsal root rhizotomy.

Key words: nerve regeneration, neurotrophin-3, sensory neurons, dorsal root ganglion, cats, nerve terminal, neural regeneration