Effects of PMA (PHORBOL-12-MYRISTATE-13-ACETATE) on the Developing Rodent Brain

Figure 2

PMA induced cell death in the immature rat brain. Representative microscopic overviews ((a)–(h), 20x) of affected brain regions. In the injured frontal cortex from an animal subjected to PMA (500 μg/kg), degenerating cells appear as small dark dots in 70 μm silver-stained sections (b), TUNEL staining performed in 10 μm-thick cortical sections of the ventral thalamus confirms DNA fragmentation within degenerating cells (d). Fluoro-Jade B staining of the laterodorsal thalamus depicting neurodegenerative changes in P7 rats 24 hours after PMA exposure (f). Immunohistochemistry demonstrates caspase-3-immunopositive cells in the laterodorsal thalamus of a 7-day-old rat subjected to PMA ((h), black arrowheads). Photomicrographs of control animals ((a), (c), (e), (g)) showed no neurodegenerative response.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)