Effects Of Thrombin And Bradykinin On Astrocyte Reactivity

Savannah Bradley

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Math

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Cell and Molecular Biology

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Dr. Turgeon; Department of Neuroscience, Furman University

Abstract

During a spinal cord injury (SCI), the nervous system enters a state of disarray with the formation of glial scars and a loss of neurons, which can damage an axon’s ability to repair or regenerate. This damage creates a hostile environment for the cells. In addition, astrocytes will become reactive during this time. In normal SCI research, the mixture of cells are removed from their hostile environment then filtered to examine a specific cell type. This analysis has revealed that the axons are actually able to regenerate and regrow. Furman’s research includes an analysis of the effects of thrombin, a protease responsible for cleaving fibrinogen into fibrin, on axon regeneration in mixed cell cultures. At low doses, thrombin can be shown to stimulate outgrowth and proliferation in astrocytes. At high doses, it is known to kill astrocytes. (Vaughan, 1995) To understand more about the results of thrombin on astrocyte growth and shape, cells were exposed to hostile and controlled environments. To induce a hostile environment on astrocytes, 19 μl of thrombin (2.12 μM) and 40 μl of bradykinin (1 μM), an inflammatory mediator produced during a SCI, were added to the wells. They were then examined at different times to monitor the astrocyte response. The results indicated that thrombin and a mixture of bradykinin and thrombin result in a clear increase in astrocyte reactivity.

Location

Owens 201

Start Date

4-16-2016 9:00 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 9:00 AM

Effects Of Thrombin And Bradykinin On Astrocyte Reactivity

Owens 201

During a spinal cord injury (SCI), the nervous system enters a state of disarray with the formation of glial scars and a loss of neurons, which can damage an axon’s ability to repair or regenerate. This damage creates a hostile environment for the cells. In addition, astrocytes will become reactive during this time. In normal SCI research, the mixture of cells are removed from their hostile environment then filtered to examine a specific cell type. This analysis has revealed that the axons are actually able to regenerate and regrow. Furman’s research includes an analysis of the effects of thrombin, a protease responsible for cleaving fibrinogen into fibrin, on axon regeneration in mixed cell cultures. At low doses, thrombin can be shown to stimulate outgrowth and proliferation in astrocytes. At high doses, it is known to kill astrocytes. (Vaughan, 1995) To understand more about the results of thrombin on astrocyte growth and shape, cells were exposed to hostile and controlled environments. To induce a hostile environment on astrocytes, 19 μl of thrombin (2.12 μM) and 40 μl of bradykinin (1 μM), an inflammatory mediator produced during a SCI, were added to the wells. They were then examined at different times to monitor the astrocyte response. The results indicated that thrombin and a mixture of bradykinin and thrombin result in a clear increase in astrocyte reactivity.