Effects of Brain Gangliosides on Reinnervation of Fast-Twitch Rat Skeletal Muscle

Abstract

We have recently produced evidence showing that treatment with gangliosides substantially increases the rate and degree of functional recovery that follows the process of regeneration of nerve fibers (Ceccarelli et al., 1976). Our previous results were obtained in two different experimental models involving the regeneration of peripheral sympathetic cholinergic and adrenergic nerve fibers (see also Ceccarelli et al., 1971; 1972). The results of these experiments clearly indicated that both in a cholinergic type (preganglionic) and in an adrenergic type (postganglionic) of anastomosis prolonged treatment with a mixture of brain cortex gangliosides induced an increased rate and degree of functional recovery, as measured by electrophysiological means. This might be explained by a more efficient reinnervation on the effector organs(superior cervical ganglion and smooth muscle of nictitating membrane). Although it is difficult at the present to account for this observation we thought that it might be useful to investigate the pharmacological effect of gangliosides in the physiological characteristics of reinnervation also of mammalian skeletal muscle fibers. We report here an account of our preliminar experiments, using the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (hereafter called EDL) muscle and its nerve supply.