Study of myelin structure changes during the nerve fibers demyelination

PLoS One. 2017 Sep 21;12(9):e0185170. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185170. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Raman, NMR and EPR spectroscopy and electrophysiology methods were used to investigate the excitability and the packaging of myelin lipid layers and its viscosity during nerve exposure to pronase E. It was established that during exposure of nerve to pronase E the action potential (AP) conduction velocity and the Schwann cell (SC) (or myelin) water ordering increases, but the nerve myelin refractive index and internode incisions numbers decrease. This effect included two periods-short- and long-time period, probably, because the first one depends on SC protein changes and the second one-on the nerve fiber internode demyelination. It was concluded that high electrical resistance of myelin, which is important for a series of AP conduction velocity, not only depends on nerve fiber diameter and the myelin lipid composition, but also on the regularity of myelin lipid fatty acids and myelin lipid layer packing during the axoglial interaction.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carotenoids / chemistry
  • Carotenoids / metabolism
  • Demyelinating Diseases / metabolism*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Myelin Sheath / chemistry*
  • Myelin Sheath / drug effects
  • Myelin Sheath / metabolism*
  • Nerve Fibers / drug effects
  • Nerve Fibers / metabolism*
  • Phospholipids / chemistry
  • Phospholipids / metabolism
  • Pronase / pharmacology
  • Rana temporaria
  • Viscosity / drug effects

Substances

  • Phospholipids
  • Carotenoids
  • Pronase

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.