EARLY EFFECTS OF BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR ON FETAL-RAT MESENCEPHALIC CELL-SUSPENSIONS

Mesencephalic cell suspensions are used, experimentally but also clini cally, to compensate for neurological deficiencies, by implantation in to the striatum. Here, we have studied the metabolism of mesencephalic cell suspensions obtained from rat embryos by measuring heat dissipat ion, oxygen consumption, ATP and lactate production. The effect of bas ic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) at a 50 ng/ml concentration on thes e parameters was studied in order to assess the effect of in vitro exp osure of cell suspensions to this trophic factor. Heat production and oxygen consumption were low, as could be expected from an immature ner vous tissue, and they further decreased after addition of bFGF. This t rophic factor decreased the total ATP concentration and increased the lactate production. The viability of the cell suspensions was reduced by nearly a half, 2 h after the addition of bFGF, and numerous fragmen ted nuclei were observed, It seems that, in contrast to the neuroprote ctive effect of bFGF on mesencephalic cultures and nigrostriatal neuro ns, this factor could have an initial sorting effect in the developmen t of mesencephalic structures. (C) Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.