Rapid induction of neurotrophin mRNAs in rat glial cell cultures by Semax, an adrenocorticotropic hormone analog

The proliferation, differentiation and survival of neuronal and glial cells are affected by a number of neurotrophic factors, such as nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and others. In a previous study, we observed the effects of ‘Semax’ (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro), the physiologically active analogue of adrenocorticotropic hormone(4–10), on neuronal cell survival in vitro. We hypothesized that these effects may be mediated by the regulation of expression of some neurotrophic factors. To test this hypothesis we analyzed NGF and BDNF gene expression in glial cells obtained from the basal forebrain of newborn rats, following in vitro treatment with ‘Semax’. We observed changes in mRNA levels for both the NGF and BDNF genes. The greatest increase in expression was found after 30 min of ‘Semax’ administration. At this time, BDNF mRNA level was increased eight-fold in comparison with control, and NGF mRNA level was increased five-fold.