Pharmacological induction of physiologically active nerve growth factor in rat peripheral nervous system.

Intraperitoneal administration of 4-methylcatechol, which is one of the potent stimulators of nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis in vitro, induced an increase in NGF protein and NGF mRNA in the adult rat heart and submaxillary gland. The increase in NGF protein was successively translocated from the sciatic nerve to sensory or sympathetic ganglia. Repetitive administration of 1,2-diacetoxypropylbenzene, an acetylated form of 4-methylcatechol analog, caused significant elevations of substance P levels in sensory ganglia and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in superior cervical ganglia of infant rats. These observations suggest that both compounds could stimulate NGF synthesis in vivo and that the induced NGF had physiological effects on peripheral neurons.