Moderate elevation of extracellular potassium transiently inhibits regeneration of sensory axons in cultured adult sciatic nerves

• The adult frog dorsal root ganglia (DRG) together with the sciatic nerve (ScN) has previously been shown to survive in organ culture for several days. If a local test crush is made at the beginning of culturing, there is an initial delay of about 3 days before the sensory axons start to grow into the distal nerve stump at a rate of about 0.6-0.9 mm/day. The present results showed that axonal growth was unaffected in preparations maintained for 8 days in medium containing 10 mM K+ (5 mM is the physiological level). In contrast, the outgrowth was markedly reduced by 15 mM K+ and still more by 20 and 25 mM K+. The growth inhibition was partially counteracted by nifedipine, a Ca2+-channel antagonist. Other experiments clearly showed that high K+ exerted its effects during the early phase of the regeneration and lacked effects at later stages. The possibility that Ca2+-binding proteins, e.g., calbindin, which showed immunohistochemical reactivity in different structures, contribute to the growth adaptation to high K+ will be considered. The generality of the findings was supported by inhibition of axonal outgrowth of adult mouse sciatic sensory axons by high K+.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Cellbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Cell Biology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Calbindin

Calcium

Potassium

Regeneration

Schwann cell

Sciatic nerve

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)