Nerve growth factor eye drop administrated on the ocular surface of rodents affects the nucleus basalis and septum: Biochemical and structural evidence

• Published in: Brain research 2007-01, Vol.1127 (1), p.45-51
• Main Authors: Lambiase, Alessandro, Pagani, Lucia, Di Fausto, Veronica, Sposato, Valentina, Coassin, Marco, Bonini, Stefano, Aloe, Luigi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Afferent Pathways - drug effects; Afferent Pathways - metabolism; Alzheimer's disease; Animals; Basal Nucleus of Meynert - drug effects; Basal Nucleus of Meynert - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Cell Count; Cerebrospinal Fluid - drug effects; Cerebrospinal Fluid - metabolism; Choline O-Acetyltransferase - drug effects; Choline O-Acetyltransferase - metabolism; Cholinergic Fibers - drug effects; Cholinergic Fibers - metabolism; Conjunctiva - drug effects; Conjunctiva - innervation; Conjunctiva - metabolism; Cornea; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Male; Medical sciences; Nerve Growth Factor - metabolism; Nerve Growth Factor - pharmacology; Nerve Growth Factor - therapeutic use; Neurodegenerative Diseases - drug therapy; Neurodegenerative Diseases - metabolism; Neurodegenerative Diseases - physiopathology; Neurology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - metabolism; NGF; Ophthalmic Solutions - metabolism; Ophthalmic Solutions - pharmacology; Ophthalmic Solutions - therapeutic use; Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Parkinson's disease; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor - drug effects; Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor - metabolism; Retinal Artery - drug effects; Retinal Artery - physiology; Retinal Ganglion Cells - drug effects; Retinal Ganglion Cells - metabolism; Septal Nuclei - drug effects; Septal Nuclei - metabolism; Up-Regulation - drug effects; Up-Regulation - physiology
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.09.102

Abstract It has been shown that conjunctivally applied NGF in rats can reach the retina and optic nerve. Whether topical eye NGF application reaches the central nervous system is not known. In the present study, we have addressed this question. It was found that topical eye NGF application affects brain cells. Time-course studies revealed that repeated NGF application leads to high concentration of this neurotrophins after 6 h and normal levels after 24 h. Our results also showed that topical eye application of NGF causes an enhanced expression of NGF receptors and ChAT immunoreactivity in forebrain cholinergic neurons, suggesting that ocular NGF application could have a functional role on damaged brain cells. The present findings suggest that eye NGF application can represent an alternative route to prevent degeneration of NGF-receptive neurons involved in disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson.