Protecting effect of human-derived neurotrophin-6 on retrogradely degenerated motoneurons of facial nucleus of rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>AIM</b>The protecting effect of human-derived neurotrophin-6 (NT-6) on injured neurons was investigated to test the neurobiological characteristics of human-derived NT-6.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Adult SD rats were used and divided into two groups, normal control group and experiment group. The right facial nerve of the experimental rats was sectioned. The experimental animals were subdivided into three groups, blank control group, NT-6 group and saline control group. The rats were raised for two weeks. Brain stem of the rats was removed and transversely sliced. Nissle stain and ChAT immunohistochemical stain of the slices were carried out to observe the role of NT-6 in protecting facial motoneurons.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The number of the ChAT positive neurons and the intensity of Nissle stain in the facial nucleus of NT-6 group were significantly augmented compared with that of the blank and saline control groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The human-derived NT-6 could partially protect the facial motoneurons from retrograde degeneration induced by their axon damage.</p>