Morphological Study On Response And Relationship Of Neurons And Astrocytes In Rat Brain And Spinal Cord To Pain Induced By The Unilateral Tibia And Fibula Fracture

Morphological Study on Response and Relationship OfNeurons and Astrocytes in Rat Brain and Spinal Cord to PainInduced by the Unilateral Tibia and Fibula FractureAS constitute nearly half of the total CNS. Recent years, an increasingly important role of the AS has been revealed. More and more evidences have shown that the AS have quite a few founctions neglected before in many aspects: they respond to neurotransmitters, integrate inputs from neurons and other AS, signal over a long range and modulate synaptic activity. There are probably some important communication and material exchange between them. Now, AS have come to the center stage in our efforts to understand the function of the brain.The present study, (D by using immunohistochemical single , double or triple staining method, showed the expression, relationship and distribution pattern of Fos-protein,GFAP or TH in rat CNS, investigated the plastic response and relationship of rat lumbar spinal cord AS and neurons to pain induced by the unilateral tibia and fibula fracture; (2) by using a double immuno-electron-microscopic method , investigated the ultrastructural characters of junction areas between neurons and AS in the dorsal horn of rat lumbar spinal cord following the unilateral tibia andfibula fracture; ?after intrathecal application of the carbenoxolone, a gap junction blocker, recorded the paw withdrawal thermal latency and compared with control.Our results were that ﹖he PKC-LI), PLC-LI, Fos-LI AS and neurons, and GFAP-LI AS were distributed in dorsal horn of rat lumbar spinal cord, predominantly in the superficial layer; ﹖he PKC-LI, PLC-LI, Fos/GFAP-LI AS were detected earlier than that of PKC-LI, PLC-LI and Fos-LI neurons; (3) double immune-electron-microscopic staining studies firstly observed a structure temporarily named electron-dense area (EDA) consisted of the astrocytic process on one side and the neuron (dendrite) on the other side, and the character of EDA was the cytomembrane thickening and dark staining, and there was a narrow cleft between both membranes, meanwhile Cx32-LI and Cx43~LI products appeared in the neuron side or astrocyte side respectively;甶n the experimental group rats 73 of 100 per large dendrites (^lu m) and 19 of 100 per smaller dendrites (