Chronological changes of re-closure capacity in surgically induced spinal open neural tube defects of chick embryos

To investigate the re-closure capacity of surgically induced spinal open neural tube defects (ONTD) and its correlation to the cell proliferation activity in embryonic stages, longitudinal incisions of 3- or 6-somite lengths were made in neural tubes of chick embryos at Hamburger and Hamilton stage 18-19, and the length of the ONTDs was measured on postoperative days 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10. The results demonstrated that re-closure occurred more actively when the incision length was shorter. The chronological changes in the re-closure capacity of the ONTDs paralleled the proliferative activity of the neural tube. We conclude that surgically induced spinal ONTDs may be remodeled in early chick embryos and that manipulation of cell dynamics can enhance the re-closure process in the embryonic spinal cord tissue.