Cisplatin is an antineoplastic agent with neuropathy as one of its major side effect. However, effective treatment is lacking. Increasing evidence suggests that cisplatin might damage nerve capillaries leading to impaired functions of blood-nerve barrier (BNB) and neuropathy. This study was aimed to examine the effects of cisplatin on pericytes. Rats were either treated with intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin 2 mg/kg twice a week for five continuous weeks. Cisplatin-treated rats showed reduced body weight, thermal hypoalgesia and slow sciatic motor nerve conduction velocity, indicating neuropathy. The density of pericytes in the distal sciatic nerves determined by immunohistochemistry to desmin was significantly reduced in the cisplatin compared with that of the control groups. Electron microscopic analysis demonstrated the detachment of pericytes from endothelial cells including the disruption of shared basement membrane in the sciatic nerves from cisplatin-treated rats. These data indicate the pericyte loss and detachment caused by cisplatin. Future studies of the BNB components and functions after cisplatin treatment are needed and will be essential for the development of effective treatments against cisplatin-induced neuropathy.
JINDATIP, D.; NOPPARAT, W.; KOBUTREE, P.; ROUMWONG, A. & AGTHONG, S. Pericyte loss and detachment in experimental cisplatin-induced neuropathy. Int. J. Morphol., 37(2):509-514, 2019.
