Ciliary neurotrophic factor immunoreactivity is not associated with reactive astrocytes in the rat spinal cord following unilateral spinal nerve ligation

Following a direct insult to the central nervous system, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is induced in reactive astrocytes adjacent to the injury, where it participates in functional recovery. On the other hand, the role of CNTF in spinal cord plasticity after peripheral nerve injury is unclear. Hence, CNTF immunoreactivity (IR) was evaluated in rat spinal cords following unilateral spinal nerve ligation. CNTF-IR was found in GFAP-negative white matter cells exhibiting oligodendrocyte-like morphology. While GFAP labeling was increased in spinal cords of ligated animals, CNTF-IR was unchanged, suggesting that CNTF does not regulate spinal astrocyte reactivity generated by peripheral nerve ligation.