Jd. Garcia et al., GANGLIOSIDES MINIMIZE MOTOR DISABILITIES AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN CORTICAL LESIONED AND TRANSPLANTED RATS, Archives of medical research, 27(4), 1996, pp. 465-471
The effect of bovine brain gangliosides was studied in rats lesioned b
y partial suction of the right somatosensory cortex and also in rats i
mplanted with a piece of fetal brain tissue in this area. In both expe
riments a group of animals received 30 mg/kg i.p. of gangliosides dail
y for a period of 7 days after surgery. In lesioned rats, the untreate
d group showed a lower maintenance on a tight rope test at 7 as well a
s at 14 days, as compared with a sham-operated group (p < 0.05). In tr
ansplanted rats ganglioside treatment prevented the increase of the pr
obability of falls from a horizontal bar at days 7 and 14 post-operati
on and the probability of slips on a vertical bar at day 7 (p < 0.05).
Rats were killed at day 15 and brain coronal sections were obtained.
Nuclear area and circularity were measured in a sample of cortical and
grafted cells in a computer aid-image analyzer. Ganglioside protectio
n on the normal size and shape of the nuclei in the ipsilateral cortex
in lesioned as well as in transplanted rats (p < 0.01) was found. A h
igher nuclear area in ganglioside than in saline treated grafts was no
ted. Results suggest a protective action of the gangliosides against t
he lesion-induced motor dysfunction and secondary cortical cell degene
ration.