C-terminal flanking peptide of neuropeptide Y in DRG following nerve compression.

The C-terminal flanking peptide of neuropeptide Y (CPON) was studied in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) by immunocytochemistry after different recovery periods (3, 6,14 and 28 days) following tourniquet compression of the rat hindlimb (sciatic nerve; 150 or 300 mmHg; 2 h). Compression induced a transient increase in the number of CPON-positive DRG-neurons (the contralateral uninjured side was devoid of CPON-positive cells). The compression-induced increase in CPON was less than that observed in separate rats subjected to sciatic nerve transection. The results show that compression induces regenerative changes in peripheral neurons and that such an injury of the nerve trunk is not limited to the site of the compression but results in the activation of the entire neuron.