OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of primary brain-stem injury on the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the reticular formation of medulla oblongata. METHODS: Immunohistochemical SABC was used to study the change of bFGF expression in the reticular formation of medulla oblongata after brain-stem injury by striking. RESULTS: The numbers of positive cells and positive intensity of the study group in the reticular formation of medulla oblongata were significantly elevated than those of the control group and the postmortem injury group. CONCLUSION The expression of bFGF is elevated in reticular formation after brain-stem injury.
Animals ; Brain Stem/injuries* ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/biosynthesis* ; Male ; Medulla Oblongata/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reticular Formation/metabolism*

Substantial evidence has suggested that deep brain stimulation of the cuneiform nucleus has become a remarkable treatment option for intractable pain, but the possible mechanism is poorly understood. Using a melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter knockin mouse, we showed that a large number of MC4R-GFP-positive neurons were expressed in the cuneiform nucleus. Immunofluorescence revealed that approximately 40%-50% of MC4R-GFP-positive neurons expressed mu opioid receptors, indicating that they were opioidergic signaling. Our findings support the hypothesis that MC4R expression in the cuneiform nucleus is involved in the modulation of opioidergic signaling.
Animals ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Gene Knock-In Techniques ; Genes, Reporter ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Microtomy ; Midbrain Reticular Formation ; cytology ; metabolism ; Neurons ; cytology ; metabolism ; Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Opioid, mu ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction