2023 FDA Science Forum
A modified approach of Fluoro-Jade C labeling for neurotoxicity assessments
- Authors:
- Center:
-
Contributing OfficeNational Center for Toxicological Research
Abstract
Fluoro-Jade C (FJ-C) stain is a histochemical method for the labeling of degenerating neurons and has been widely used for the detection and confirmation of neurotoxicity in the central nervous system. In this study, we present a modified approach of FJ-C labeling in animals treated with kainic acid (KA) to induce neurotoxicity. The modified approach requires fewer chemical reagents and incubation steps than the conventional FJ-C labeling method. This modified approach also allows co-staining with other fluorescence-based histochemical and/or immunohistochemical methods simultaneously in the same tissue section for double- or multi-color labeling. FJ-C-labeled cells could be imaged regardless of whether tissue sections were wet or dried and cover-slipped, thus providing more flexibility if needed. More importantly, the modified approach demonstrated higher sensitivity than the conventional FJ-C labeling method. For example, when animals received KA-treatment but did not develop severe seizures conventional FJ-C stain failed to display labeled neurons in those brains. However adjacent brain tissue sections of the same KA-treated animals could still show FJ-C positive neurons when using the modified approach, suggesting neurotoxicity indeed occurred in those KA-treated animals that had mild seizures. In conclusion, this modified FJ-C labeling approach could be utilized as an added method for neurotoxicity assessments. (Supported by NCTR Protocol E0772001)
