Influence of prostaglandin on actinomycin C-induced degeneration of embryonal neuroectodermal tissue.

Abstract Cytoprotective properties of prostaglandins against a variety of damaging agents are well documented in gastroenterology, but not in regard to nerve tissue. The present study was aimed to document the protective action of prostaglandin PGE2 on Actinomycin C (AMC) induced degeneration of embryonal neuroectodermal tissue in vitro. Material for tissue culture was taken from the cerebrum and cerebellum of 912 day old Leghorn chick embryos. AMC added to 7 days organotypic tissue cultures exhibiting a growth zone equal to the diameter of explantate. Tissue cultures were divided into the following groups: 1. 1. controls 2. culture treated with PGE2 0.02mM in 1ml of incubating medium 3. culture teated with AMC in a final concentration 10 −8 M 4. culture treated with PGE2 0.02mM 5 minutes prior to AM-C administration (10 −8 ) 5. culture treated with PGE2 0.03mM 5 minutes prior to AM-C administration 6. culture treated with PGE2 0.05mM 5 minutes prior to AM-C administration. After 24 hours morphological evaluation of the AM-c induced damage was performed including quantitation of degenerated and normal neuroectodermal cells. The results show that AM-C induced degeneration of embryonal neuroectodermal tissue was significantly reduced with PGE2 administration. This protective action of PGE2 was dose dependent.