Experimental demyelinating optic neuropathy induced by intra-neural injection of galactocerebroside antiserum

Abstract

The morphological changes induced by microinjection of galactocerebroside (Gal-C) antiserum into the rat optic nerve are described. Light and electron microscopic observations were made 2 – 20 days post-injection. The severity and extent of the lesion varied according to the volume of antiserum injected and the depth of penetration into the nerve. With small volumes of antiserum (1–3 μl), primary demyelination was the principal change found from 2 days onwards and by 10 days there was evidence of remyelination by oligodendroglia. Some fibres undergoing Wallerian-type degeneration were also found. The injection of larger volumes of antiserum (5–10 μl) produced a more extensive lesion with marked axonal degeneration in addition to demyelination at the periphery of the lesion. These findings show that Gal-C antiserum can cause demyelination of central nerve fibres when the blood-brain barrier is bypassed.