Summary
Organized cultures of dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord segments from Wistar rats were subjected to chloroquine for periods ranging between 3 and 8 days. At 4 days of exposure to the drug living dorsal root ganglion cells revealed granular cytoplasmic inclusions.
At the ultrastructural level the initial stages of chloroquine poisoning showed an increase in the vesicular component of the Golgi apparatus which was dilated markedly. At day 8 following the addition of the drug numerous spinal ganglion cells were filled with multilamellated bodies. In many instances the Golgi apparatus was associated with the lamellar array of the membranous body. The perikarya of spinal cord neurons likewise contained large multilamellated bodies which were also present to a lesser extent in their dendrites. In the axonal processes local accumulations of multilamellated bodies were accompanied by a loss of neurotubules.
Removal of chloroquine from the nutrient medium after exposure periods of up to 8 days resulted in a gradual disappearance of lamellated whorls. Dorsal root ganglion cells subjected to this procedure were conspicuous by the increased numbers of lysosomes persisting at a survival time of 32 days.
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Tischner, K. Effects of chloroquine on neurons of long-term cultures of peripheral and central nervous system. Acta Neuropathol 28, 233–242 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00719028
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00719028