Gj. Baxter et Ra. Smith, CHANGES IN NEUROPEPTIDE IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN CULTURED ADULT-MOUSE SENSORY NEURONS FOLLOWING METHYLMERCURY CHLORIDE TREATMENTS, Neuroscience letters, 246(1), 1998, pp. 13-16
Changes in the neuropeptide expression of sensory neurons, related to
functional modulation, have been widely reported both following physic
al injury in vivo [4,23], and after to,:ic insult in vitro and in vivo
[7]. The current immunocytochemical study aimed to monitor the neurop
eptide status of neuronal cultures prepared from adult mouse dorsal ro
ot ganglia (DRG), and to ascertain whether changes occurred following
treatments with 0.1-1 mu M methylmercury (MeHg). Proportions of both s
ubstance P (SP) and calcitonin gene related peptide (CG RP) containing
neurons increased significantly, and were maintained throughout the 2
4 h exposure period. In contrast the numbers of somatostatin (SOM)-ir
neurons decreased. Substance P- and CGRP-ir neuron increases may be re
lated to nociceptive responses, whereas the decreases in SOM containin
g neurons could reflect a differential loss in this subset of sensory
neurons. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.