CHALCEDONY – DNA INTERACTION IN PURKINJE CELLS

PRADO FIGUEROA, M

Buzios, Brasil

Congreso; I IBRO/LARC CONGRESS OF NEUROSCIENCES OF LATIN AMERICA, CARIBBEAN AND IBERIAN PENINSULA; 2008

IBRO/LARC Y SOC BRASILEIRA DE NEUROCIENCIA

The cerebellum is an especially appropriate organ for the analysis of the traumatizad and aged neurons. In the cerebellum of the old people, Cajal (1911) observed axonic metamorphoses of Purkinje neurons: a) axonic hypertrophy; b) axonal swellings; c) axon ending in a ball and d) also disappearance of numerous Purkinje cells. Chalcedony (a microcrystalline silica, SiO2) has been observed to be present in the human cerebellum from aged patients by using a DMLP polarizad Light microscope (Prado Figueroa et al., 2006; 2008). This paper documents the visualization of chalcedony in the human cerebellum of the old people by using a Leica TSC TC2 Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope. Autofluorescent chalcedony is in the balls of the axon ending, swellings and also within the nucleus of the Purkinje cells, as very small grains. This observation is in relation with the Purkinje cells loss. Chalcedony plays a direct role in cellular transformation and it is the agent that damage DNA. Palavras-Chave: Neurodegeneration Purkinje cells; silica Apoio Financeiro: Supported by grants from the SGCyT, UNS – Bahía Blanca, Argentina.