Influence of ganglioside treatment on acrylamide neuropathy in mice. A morphometric study

Female CBA/J mice were given oral doses of 40 mg/kg acrylamide 3 times weekly for 7 or 11 weeks in order to induce peripheral neuropathy. Half the animals were concurrently treated with 20 mg/kg, subcutaneously, of a ganglioside mixture (Cronassial). The other half received physiological saline and served as control. At the end of 7 or 11 weeks, the tibial nerves were removed and examined histomorphometrically. Every animal had developed a neuropathy. However, the mice treated with the ganglioside mixture showed on both the examination dates a substantially larger proportion of small sprouting nerve fibres than the control. It was concluded from this that treatment with gangliosides stimulated the regenerative potential of the damaged nerves.