Pattern of motoneuron death following transection of the sciatic nerve in adult rats

Objective To investigate the pattern of motoneuron death induced by transection of the sciatic nerve in adult rats. Methods Sciatic nerve transected model was selected. The rats were sacrificed at 48 h, 7, 15, and 30 d after operation, respectively. The L 4-L 6 segments of the spinal cord were harvested after transcardiac perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde, and were stained by TUNEL method and examined electron microscopically. Results A typical pattern of morphological changes of motoneuron apoptosis in the anterior horn of spinal cord was observed by both TUNEL staining and electron microscopy. Conclusion Motoneuron apoptosis in the spinal cord anterior horn induced by peripheral nerve transection demonstrates that neuron apoptosis may be the main pathological course of rat spinal cord neuron death following peripheral nerve injury in adult rats.