Summary
Cerebral ganglia of the freshwater snailLymnaea stagnalis were incubatedin vitro in 10 μM Taxol for 8 and 24 h. Cremophor EL (0.1%) was used as a diluant. The tissue was processed for electron microscopy. Various ultrastructural parameters were assessed quantitatively. Cremophor EL appeared to seriously affect the cell somata of the multipeptidergic caudodorsal cells. In the Cremophor-controls the mean area of Golgi zones, the percentage dense material (neuropeptides) in these zones, the number of large electron dense granules (these are involved in neuropeptide processing) and the mean nuclear heterochromatin clump size, were significantly smaller than in the Ringer-controls, whereas the number of lipid droplets was higher. All these parameters, except for the lipid droplets, were not different in the Cremophor-controls and the Taxol-treated specimens. After 24 h treatment, but not after 8 h, Cremophor EL furthermore induced an increase in the number of axonal microtubules. It is argued that the results might signify activation of the neurons by Cremophor EL. Taxol induced a significant increase in the number of microtubules in axons and cell somata. Furthermore an increase in the number of Golgi zones was observed, suggesting activated neuropeptide synthesis. In all groups immunostaining with antibodies to neuropeptides produced by the caudodorsal cells was normal. Release of neuropeptide (exocytosis) from axon endings was elevated after Taxol treatment, and exceptionally high in specimens cotreated with Taxol and Org 2766 (incubation time 22 h). The effect of Org 2766 and Taxol on the number of microtubules was cumulative. It is argued that transport of neuropeptide granules from the cell somata to the axon terminals was not affected by Taxol. It is concluded that Taxol neurotoxicity is probably not due to impeded microtubular axonal transport.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
De Brabander M, Geuens G, Nuydens R, Willebrords R, De Mey J: Taxol induces the assembly of free microtubules in living cells and blocks the organizing capacity of the centrosomes and kinetochores. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 78: 5608–5612, 1981
Rowinsky EK, Donehower RC, Jones RJ, Tucker RW: Microtubule changes and cytotoxicity in leukemic cell lines treated with Taxol. Cancer Res 48: 4093–4100, 1988
Horwitz SB, Lothstein L, Monfredi JJ, Mellado W, Parness J, Roy SN, Schiff PB, Sorbara L, Zeheb R: Taxol: Mechanisms of action and resistance. In: Annals New York Academy of Sciences 733–744, 1986
Horwitz SB: Mechanism of action of Taxol. TIPS 13:134–136, 1992
Ben-Ze'ev A, Farmer SR, Penman S: Mechanisms of regulating tubulin synthesis in cultured mammalian cells. Cell 17: 319–325, 1979
Gong Z, Brandhorst B: Autogenous regulation of tubulin synthesis via RNA stability during sea urchin embryogenesis. Developm 102: 31–43, 1988
Rowinsky EK, Cazenave LA, Donehower RC: Taxol: a novel investigational antimicrotubule agent. Natl Canc Inst 82: 1247–1259, 1990
Lipton RB, Apfel MC, Dutcher JP, Rosenberg R, Kaplan J, Berger A, Einzig AI, Wiernik P, Schaumburg HH: Taxol produces a predominantly sensory neuropathy. Neurology 39: 368–373, 1989
Röyttä M, Raine CS: Taxol-induced neuropathy: further ultrastructural studies of nerve fibre changes in situ. J Neuro cytol 14: 157–175, 1985
Röyttä M, Horwitz SB, Raine CS: Taxol-induced neuropathy: short-term effects of local injection. J Neurocytol 13: 685–701, 1984
Burgoyne RD, Cumming R: Taxol stabilizes synaptosomal microtubules without inhibiting acetylcholine release. Brain Res 280: 190–193, 1983
Thuret-Carnahan J, Bossu J-L, Feltz A, Langley K, Aunis D: Effect of Taxol on secretory cells: functional, morphological, and electrophysiological correlates. J Cell Biol 100: 1863–1874, 1984
McKay DB: Structure-activity study on the actions of Taxol and related taxanes on primary cultures of adrenal medullary cells. J Pharmacol Exp Therap 248: 1302–1307, 1989
Farshori PQ, Goode D: Effects of the microtubule depolymerizing and stabilizing agents nocodazole and Taxol on glucose-induced insulin secretion from hamster islet tumor (HIT) cells. J Submicrosc Cytol Pathol 26: 137–146, 1994
Müller LJ, Moorer-van Delft CM, Roubos EW: Snail neurons as a possible model for testing neurotoxic side-effects of anti-tumour agents: Paracrystal formation by Vinca alkaloids. Cancer Res 48: 7184–7188, 1988
Müller LJ, Moorer-van Delft CM, Zijl R, Roubos EW: The use of snail neurons in developing quantitative ultrastructural parameters for neurotoxic side-effects of vinca antitumour agents. Cancer Res 50: 1924–1928, 1990
Müller LJ, Moorer-van Delft CM, Boer HH: The ACTH (4-9)/MSH (4-9) analogue ORG 2766 stimulates microtubule formation in axons of central neurons of the snailLymnaea stagnalis. Peptides 13: 769–774, 1992
Müller LJ, Moorer-van Delft CM, Roubos EW, Vermorken JB, Boer HH: Quantitative ultrastructural effects of cisplatin (Platinol), Carboplatin (JM8) and Iproplatin (JM9) on neurons of the freshwater snailLymnaea stagnalis. Cancer Res 52: 963–973, 1992
Roubos EW: Cytobiology of the ovulation-neurohormone producing neuroendocrine caudo-dorsal cells ofLymnaea stagnalis. Int Rev Cytol 89: 295–346, 1984
Geraerts WPM, Maat Ater, Vreugdenhil E: The peptidergic neuroendocrine control of egg-laying behavior inAplysia andLymnaea. In: Laufer H, Downer RGD (eds) Invertebrate Endocrinology, Vol 2, Alan R. Liss, New York 141–231, 1988
Buma P, Roubos EW, Buijs RM: Ultrastructural demonstration of exocytosis of neural, neuroendocrine and endocrine secretions with anin vitro tannic acid (TARI)-method. Histochemistry 80: 247–256, 1984
Müller LJ, Moorer-van Delft CM, Kiburg B, Vermorken JB, Heimans JJ, Boer HH: ORG 2766, an ACTH(4–9)/MSH (4-9) analogue, modulates vincristine-induced neurotoxicity in the snailLymnaea stagnalis. Int J Oncol 5: 647–653, 1994
Müller LJ, Kiburg B, Moorer-van Delft CM, Boer HH: Differential trophic effects of ORG 2766, an ACTH4−9VMSH4−9 analogue, on peptidergic neurons and glial cells in the snailLymnaea stagnalis. Peptides 15: 143–149, 1994
Roubos EW, Heumen WRA van: Peptide processing and release by the neuroendocrine caudodorsal cells ofLymnaea stagnalis during an egg-laying cycle. Brain Res 644: 83–89, 1994
Heumen WRA van, Roubos EW: Immuno-electron microscopy of sorting and release of neuropeptides byLymnaea stagnalis. Cell Tissue Res 264: 185–195, 1991
Roubos EW: Neuronal and non-neuronal control of the neurosecretory caudo-dorsal cells of the freshwater snailLymnaea stagnalis (L.). Cell Tissue Res 168: 11–31, 1976
Steel RGD, Torrie JH: Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill, New York, Toronto, 1960
Bliss CJ: Statistics in biology. Vol 1, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1967
Shapiro HH, Wilk MB: An analysis of variance test for normality. Biometry 52: 591–611, 1865
Woodcock DM, Jefferson S, Linsenmeyer ME, Crowther PJ, Chojnowski GM, Williams B, Bertoncello: Reversal of the multidrug resistance phenotype with Cremophor EL, a common vehicle for water-insoluble vitamins and drugs. Cancer Res 50: 4199–4203, 1990
Chuang LF, Israel M, Chuang RY: Cremophor EL inhibits 12-O-tetradecanoybphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced protein phosphorylation in human myeloblastic leukemia ML-1 cells. Anticancer Res 11: 1517–1522, 1991
Liebmann J, Cook JA, Lipschulz C, Teague D, Fisher J, Mitchell JB: The influence of Cremophor EL on the cell cycle effects of paclitaxel (Taxol) in human cell lines. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 33: 331–339, 1994
Masurovsky EB, Peterson ER, Carin SM, Horwitz SB: Morphological alterations in dorsal root ganglion neurons and supporting cells of organotypic mouse spinal cord-ganglion cultures exposed to Taxol. Neuroscience 2: 491–509, 1983
Turner PF, Margolis RL: Taxol-induced binding of brain-derived microtubules. J Cell Biol 99: 90–946, 1984
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boer, H.H., Moorer-van Delft, C.M., Müller, L.J. et al. Ultrastructural neuropathologic effects of Taxol on neurons of the freshwater snailLymnaea stagnalis . J Neuro-Oncol 25, 49–57 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01054722
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01054722