As key factors in the development and maintenance of the auditory system, neurotrophins can prevent auditory neuron degeneration when applied within three to five days of deafening. We tested each of the neurotrophins BDNF, NT-3, NT-4/5 and NGF for their ability to support auditory neuron survival following a two-week period of deafness in guinea pigs, when ∼15% auditory neuron degeneration has already occurred. Although delayed, the treatment with each neurotrophin prevented further degeneration with similar efficacy.
THE survival of auditory neurones depends on the continued supply of trophic factors. Early postnatal spiral ganglion cells (SGC) in a dissociated cell culture were used as a model of auditory innervation to test the trophic factors leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) for their ability, individually or in combination, to promote neuronal survival. The findings suggest that LIF supports neuronal survival in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover LIF potentiated NT-3-mediated spiral ganglion neuronal survival in a synergistic fashion.
This is an abstract of a paper from Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience Society 1997 published by Australian Neuroscience Society. This version is reproduced with the permission of publisher.
Neurotrophic factors are known to play a crucial role in the elongation and guidance of auditory nerve fibres to their targets within the organ of Corti. Maintenance of these neural connections following deafness would clearly influence the efficacy of therapies for hearing recovery. The growth factors leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and transforming growth factor-beta 5 (TGF-β5) were tested for their efficacy in promoting neurite outgrowth from dissociated cultures of early postnatal rat auditory neurons. Our results indicate that while BDNF enhances neurite outgrowth in a strong fashion, LIF is more potent; moreover, the combined administration of both factors has even greater neuritogenic capacities. TGF-β5, although neurotrophic, has no neuritogenic activity on cultured auditory neurons. LIF and BDNF may therefore be potential candidates when developing pharmacological therapies for hearing recovery.
This is an abstract of a paper from Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience Society 2002 published by Australian Neuroscience Society. This version is reproduced with the permission of publisher.
This is an abstract of a paper from Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience Society 1999 published by Australian Neuroscience Society. This version is reproduced with the permission of publisher.