Summary
125I-labeled tetanus toxin was injected intravenously and intramuscularly in rats. Specific localisation within the spinal cord was obtained by histoautoradiography.
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1.
In generalized tetanus grain density was maximal in the ventral grey matter of spinal cord. The grains were closely correlated to the motoneurons and their neuropil. Other areas showed background activity only.
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2.
In local tetanus the injected side was labeled selectively. High grain density regularly covered a distinct group of motoneurons and their neuropil.
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3.
There is some evidence for intracellular accumulation of the toxin since the maximum of grain density was found over the perikarya whilst the nucleus corresponded to a minimum.
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Cells yielding high grain density were less intensively stained with toluidine blue than neighbouring unlabeled cells.
It is concluded from these experiments that tetanus toxin develops its action within or around selected motoneurons and that it induces morphological alterations there.
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Dimpfel, W., Habermann, E. Histoautoradiographic localisation of 125I-labeled tetanus toxin in rat spinal cord. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 280, 177–182 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00499178
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00499178