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The effect of prenatal X‐irradiation on the developing cerebral cortex of rats. II: A quantitative assessment of glial cells in the somatosensory cortex
Author(s) -
Miki Takanori,
Yokoyama Toshifumi,
Sumitani Kazunori,
Wang ZhiYu,
Yang Weiwen,
Kusaka Takashi,
Matsumoto Yoshiki,
Warita Katsuhiko,
Lee NamSeob,
Fukui Yoshihiro,
Takeuchi Yoshiki
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2007.05.003
Subject(s) - stereology , irradiation , offspring , cerebral cortex , biology , neuroglia , somatosensory system , central nervous system , forebrain , neuroscience , neuron , endocrinology , pregnancy , physics , nuclear physics , genetics
The developing central nervous system is known to be highly vulnerable to X‐irradiation. Although glial cells are involved in various brain functions, knowledge on the effects of X‐irradiation on glial cells is limited. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of prenatal X‐irradiation on glial cells. Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to X‐irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy on day 15 of gestation. Their offspring were examined at 7 weeks of age. The forebrain weight of X‐irradiated rats was significantly lower than that of the age‐matched controls. Histological quantification with stereology of the somatosensory cortex (SC) revealed no significant difference in the numerical density of glial cells between the X‐irradiated and control rats. However, the glial cells in the X‐irradiated animals had significantly larger nuclear size. We had previously reported that a similar X‐irradiation paradigm resulted in no significant change in the numerical density of neurons in the SC. According to the results of the present study, there were no significant differences in the glial cell‐to‐neuron ratios between the X‐irradiated and control animals. Taken together, it is speculated that prenatal X‐irradiation has an equal effects on the numerical densities of glial cells and neurons.