Motoneurotrophins derived from limb buds protect the motoneurons in anterior spinal cord after nerve injury and promote nerve regeneration.

The effects of limb bud-derived motoneurotrophins (LBMNTs) as seen in the motoneurons in the anterior spinal cord and sciatic nerve regeneration of adult rats, were evaluated in the present study. A nerve regeneration chamber with a nerve gap of 9 mm was created by suturing the proximal and distal ends of a random sciatic nerve into a silicone tube after removal of a 5 mm piece of nerve in the distal end, The chamber of the experimental group was filled with 34.34 microg LBMNTs and PBS (0.01 mol/ml, pH 7.0),and the control group with PBS only. At 1 day, 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 weeks post surgery, the content of acetylcholine esterase (AchE) and acid phosphatase (ACP) of the anterior spinal cord (injured side) was quantified, and the corresponding motoneuron's ultrastructure and the existant ratio were also examined. Meanwhile, the regenerated nerve from within the silicone tube was examined at 2, 4 and 6 weeks post surgery for histological studies at both the light microscopic and ultrastructural levels. The experimental group showed a smaller decrease of AchE and an increase of ACP, a larger existant ratio of motoneurons, better ultrastructure and a more mature regenerated nerve based on a larger diameter of the regenerated nerve trunk, a greater number of axons and thicker myelin sheaths than the control group. So it was concluded that LBMNTs had a high activity of protecting motoneurons in the anterior spinal cord after nerve injury and promoting nerve regeneration, and it may be a new source of neurotrophic factors (NTFs). Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.