Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor and Epidermal Growth Factor Promote Survival of Primary Cultured Cerebellar Neurons from Neonatal Rats.

Abstract

Neurotrophic effects of CS23, a mutein of human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and recombinant human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) were compared in dissociated cerebellar cultures from embryonic (E20) and early postnatal (P0-5) rats. Both CS23 and hEGF promoted the survival of cerebellar neurons without distinction of ages of animals used. The maximum effects of CS23 were always larger than those of hEGF. These results suggest that both bFGF and EGF also function as neurotrophic factors in postnatal cerebellum.