Apoptosis of primary spinal cord neurons of rat embryo before and following injury in vitro / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the apoptosis rate of neurons in vitro among the primary culture cells isolated from rat spinal cords before and after injury. Methods The spinal cord neurons of Wistar rats at 14-day gestation were isolated and cultured. The neuronal processes were then injured by cutting. At different time points after injury, TUNEL method was employed to detect the apoptotic neurons. Results Before injury, there was almost no apoptotic neuron. However, a large amount of apoptotic neurons were observed after the injury. The highest incidence of apoptosis appeared on the first day, and then it gradually reduced in the following days, but increased in amount again on the seventh day. Conclusion The results of the present experiment reveal the regularity of apoptosis of neurons before and after injury, and it provides a platform for further research regarding therapeutic intervention in the treatment of spinal cord injury.