Myelin regeneration and testosterone treatment in a murine model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

ESPERANTE, IVÁN; MEYER M; BANZAN CAROLINA; LIMA ANALÍA; ROIG P; DE NICOLA A. F.; GONZALEZ DENISELLE MC

Workshop; Primer Encuentro del Club de la Glia del Cono Sur: Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo de las células gliales; 2022

The wobbler (WR) mouse, a model of ALS, shows motoneuron degeneration, astrocytosis and microgliosis in cervical spinal cord (CSC) associated to muscle atrophy and gait disturbances. Male WRs exhibit low androgen levels in brain and spinal cord. As testosterone plays major roles in axon myelination, we analyzed myelin parameters [density of CC1+ oligodendrocytes, luxol fast blue (LFB) staining and the myelin/axon thick ratio] in the CSC from male WRs after testosterone treatment. Immunoreactivity for glutamine synthetase (GS), a glial enzyme that prevents glutamate toxicity, was also studied. A silastic tube containing testosterone crystals was implanted to WRs at symptomatic stage for 2 months. Untreated WRs and controls received empty silastic tubes. In the ventrolateral funiculus, the % of LFB reactive area was lower in WR vs. controls (p