凋亡,包含了許多退化性病變的發生程序,在過去文獻上已於老鼠脊髓撞擊的損傷模型報告中存在。本實驗是要探索於更嚴重的脊髓損傷,例如脊髓截斷後是否會發生凋亡以進而探討其影響的嚴重程度。為了模擬最嚴重的臨床狀態,本實驗採用的模型為成年Wistar老鼠胸椎第八節到第九節脊髓完全截斷,並使用TUNEL染色以及免疫螢光染色來評估凋亡細胞及其型態變化。為計量凋亡細胞,本實驗使用DNA螢光流量計(DNA flow cytometry)來評估。根據TUNEL以及CC1螢光染色的結果,我們發現在損傷之後,凋亡發生於脊髓內含有髓鞘的寡突膠質細胞。
Apoptosis,involving cascades of degradative events, which have been noted after contusion injury to the rat spinal cord. The purpose of this investigation was to study what extent apoptosis occurs in the severe spinal cord injury as well as its course. Adult Wistar rats were used. To model the most severe clinical scenario, a T8-T9 spinal cord transection was performed for the study group. TUNEL staining and immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate nuclear morphology. DNA flow cytometry was used to count the apoptotic cells. The occurrence of apoptosis in the myelin-producing oligodendrocytes was confirmed based on the double staining by both TUNEL and CC1 immunoassay.