Insulin-like growth factor-1 prevents dorsal root ganglion neuronal tyrosine kinase receptor expression alterations induced by dideoxycytidine in vitro.

Dideoxycytidine (zalcitabine, ddC) produces neurotoxic effects. It is particularly important to understand the toxic effects of ddC on different subpopulations of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons which express distinct tyrosine kinase receptor (Trk) and to find therapeutic factors for prevention and therapy for ddC-induced peripheral sensory neuropathy. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has been shown to have neurotrophic effects on DRG sensory neurons. However, little is known about the effects of ddC on distinct Trk (TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC) expression in DRG neurons and the neuroprotective effects of IGF-1 on ddC-induced neurotoxicity. Here, we have tested the extent to which the expression of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC receptors in primary cultured DRG neurons is affected by ddC in the presence or absence of IGF-1. In this experiment, we found that exposure of 5, 25, and 50 μmol/L ddC caused a dose-dependent decrease of the mRNA, protein, and the proportion of TrkA-, TrkB-, and TrkC-expressing neurons. IGF-1 (20 nmol/L) could partially reverse the decrease of TrkA and TrkB, but not TrkC, expression with ddC exposure. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 (10 μmol/L) blocked the effects of IGF-1. These results suggested that the subpopulations of DRG neurons which express distinct TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC receptors were affected by ddC exposure. IGF-1 might relieve the ddC-induced toxicity of TrkA- and TrkB-, but not TrkC-expressing DRG neurons. These data offer new clues for a better understanding of the association of ddC with distinct Trk receptor expression and provide new evidence of the potential therapeutic role of IGF-1 on ddC-induced neurotoxicity.