Physiol. Res. 49: 157-165, 2000



Short-Term Changes of NADPH Diaphorase-Exhibiting Neuronal Pools in the Spinal Cord of Rabbit after Repeated Sublethal Ischemia

J. Maršala, P. Jalč

Institute of Neurobiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic

Received July 30, 1999
Accepted September 21, 1999


Summary
The aim of this study was the histochemical characterization of NADPH diaphorase-positive neuronal pools in the rabbit lumbosacral segments using a model of single, repeated and multiple sublethal spinal cord ischemia. Following a single 8-min sublethal spinal cord ischemia and 1-hour reperfusion, the staining of NADPH diaphorase-exhibiting neurons in the dorsal horn, pericentral region, dorsal gray commissure and sacral parasympathetic nucleus was comparable with the control sections. In contrast to the foregoing sublethal ischemia, a regionally different somatic NADPH diaphorase (NADPHd) staining was found after multiple sublethal spinal cord ischemia. Whereas an almost complete loss of the staining of large NADPHd-exhibiting somata in the pericentral region was detected, the staining of the NADPHd-exhibiting neuronal pools in the deep dorsal horn and sacral parasympathetic nucleus was fully preserved. Concomitantly, a prominent reduction of small NADPH diaphorase -positive neurons was noted in the superficial dorsal horn layers of lower lumbar and sacral segments.


Key words
NADPH diaphorase · Rabbit · Spinal cord · Sublethal ischemia

Reprint requests
Prof. MUDr. J. Maršala, DrSc., Institute of Neurobiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Šoltésovej 4, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic. e-mail: marsala@saske.sk


© 2000 by the Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences