[Alteration of lateral geniculate body cells after partial injury]

To investigate the damage of the cells of the lateral geniculate bodies (LGB) of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats after partial optic nerve injury.

The optic nerve was pressed by a forceps (40 g) for 30 seconds to set up the animal model with optic nerve injury. LGB was chopped in serial coronal slices (10 microm thickness) by a cryomicrotome. The apoptosis of LGB cells was detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT)-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) technique after one week. After retrograde labeling with Granular Blue (GB) through injecting GB into optic center, the average density of the LGB cells was counted under the fluorescent microscope. Using monoclonal rabbit anti-rat neurofilament (NF) antibody, the neurons of LGB were detected by immunochemistry stains, and the standard avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase technique was used for immunostaining.

The results of TUNEL analysis showed that the mechanism of the LGB cells pathogenesis was apoptosis. The LGB cells appeared clear striation in the control group, and the cells in experimental group decreased obviously after immunohistrochemical staining. The average density of LGB cells was (5 172 +/- 248) cells/mm(2) in control group, and (4 144 +/- 61) cells/mm(2) in experimental group.

After partial optic nerve injury, the LGB cells are obviously damaged, which may be related to apoptosis of LGB cells.