Abstract
One day old rats received daily injections of dexamethasone and were sacrificed 24 h after the 1st and 7th injections. Neuronal death by apoptosis in the hippocampus was investigated by immunohistochemistry using bcl2, bax and caspase3 antibodies. The immunoreactivity expressed by the pyramidal neurons and the dentate granule cells with these antibodies was comparable in the dexamethasone treated and control rats injected with saline. At the ultrastructural level, the dendrites showed vacuolation indicative of degeneration in the dexamethasone administered rats. Results of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that bcl2 and bax mRNA was constitutively expressed in the hippocampus of control rats and showed no significant change in the dexamethasone treated rats. The results of this study indicate that dexamethasone induces degeneration of the dendrites but does not induce neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus of postnatal rats.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
