NGF levels decrease in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion after spinal hemisection

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Abstract
To examine changes in nerve growth factor (NGF) levels in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after spinal injury, male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 150–175 g were given spinal hemisections. NGF content was measured at various post-surgical times and compared with naive controls (n = 4 per time point) in the spinal cord, DRG and blood serum by ELISA techniques (Promega). Levels of NGF in the blood serum were significantly increased 8-fold at 48 h but were significantly decreased in the spinal cord and DRG by 2- to 4- fold until 7 days postsurgery (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Contrary to accepted dogma, spinal injury results in decreased levels of NGF in the spinal cord and DRG following spinal injury.