Nerve growth factor prevents vinblastine destructive effects on sympathetic ganglia in newborn mice

Vinblastine injections in newborn mice produce severe atrophy of sympathetic ganglia; after a 7-day treatment the ganglia are 80% reduced in volume. Histological examinations show that this effect is due to a marked decrease in the neuronal cell population. The most precocious ultra-structural alterations are localized in the nuclear compartment, followed by axonal swelling and microtubule disappearance. Simultaneous injections of nerve growth factor entirely prevent the noxious effects of the vinca alkaloid, and result in partial appearance of the growth effects of nerve growth factor. Such protective action is not due to inhibition of vinblastine uptake which is the same in control mice and in mice pretreated with nerve growth factor. It is suggested that nerve growth factor prevents the vinca alkaloid action by favoring the assembly or organization, or both, of microtubules, which, from in vitro studies, have been proved to be inaccessible to vinblastine.