15] Glutathione and protein kinase C in peripheral nervous tissue

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the Glutathione and Protein Kinase C (PKC) in peripheral nervous tissue. It has long been known that the redox state of thiols in peripheral neural structures might play an important role in electrophysiological function. Former studies suggested that the integrity of certain sulfhydryl groups in nerve fibers would be essential for conduction. This classic work showed data strongly suggesting that the blockade of SH groups resulted in a loss of excitability and a reduction of the resting potential, and proposed for the first time the role of SH groups in the relationship between structure and function in nerve. The histochemical localization of glutathione (GSH) in peripheral nerve showed that, unlike what happens in central nervous tissue (strong staining of the central nervous system neuropil with little or no observable fluorescence in neuronal somata), the sciatic nerve and the sensory cell bodies of the lumbar dorsal root ganglia exhibited prominent staining. This heterogeneous distribution of GSH and related detoxification enzymes were proposed as the basis for a selective cellular and/or regional expression of neurotoxicity.