Primary cortical motor neurons undergo apoptosis after axotomizing spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in loss of voluntary motor control followed by incomplete recovery, which is partly mediated by the descending corticospinal tract (CST). This system is an important target for therapeutic repair strategies after SCI; however, the question of whether apoptotic cell death occurs in these axotomized neurons remains unanswered. In this study, adult (150–175 g) male Sprague‐Dawley rats underwent T9 transection of the dorsal funiculus, which axotomizes the dorsal CST, and introduction of the retrograde tracer Fluoro‐Gold into the lesion site. Primary motor cortex (M1) was then examined for evidence of apoptosis weekly for 4 weeks after injury. Axotomized pyramidal cells, identified by retrograde transport of Fluoro‐Gold, were found in M1 (57.5 ± 9.6/median section, 6,127 ± 292 total), and a significant proportion were terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) ‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)‐rhodamine nick end labeling (TUNEL) ‐positive at 1 week after injury (39.3 ± 5.6%), compared with animals undergoing sham surgery (1.2 ± 1.4%). At 2–4 weeks, fewer cells were Fluoro‐Gold–positive (24.6 ± 65.06 to 25.3 ± 6.4/median section, 2,338 ± 233 to 2,393 ± 124 total), of which very few were TUNEL‐positive. In TUNEL‐positive cells, Hoechst 33342 staining revealed nuclear morphology consistent with apoptosis, chromatin condensation, and formation of apoptotic bodies. Fluoro‐Gold–positive cells showed increased caspase‐3 and Bax immunoreactivity. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed similar nuclear changes and dystrophic cells. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation was detected by gel electrophoresis at the 1‐week time point. Lesioned animals not receiving Fluoro‐Gold exhibited the same markers of apoptosis. These results document, for the first time, features of apoptotic cell death in a proportion of axotomized cortical motor neurons after SCI, suggesting that protection from apoptosis may be a prerequisite for regenerative approaches to SCI. J. Comp. Neurol. 462:328–341, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.