Dictionary of Biological Psychology
The term gliotoxin has a generic and a specific meaning. Generically, it is a term used to describe any agent that destroys selectively GLIAL CELLS. Ethidium bromide, alpha aminoadipic acid (alpha AAA) and fluorocitrate are all agents that have been used experimentally to destroy glial cells. They have been used to examine, for example, the proCesses of DEMYELINATIONand REMYELINATION (see Shields et al., 1999) work that hopefully will have important consequences for understanding disorders such as MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. However, specifically, gliotoxin refers (rather confusingly) to a particular agent: gliotoxin is a fungal toxin that affects plants and animals.
Its main properties appear to be suppression of the IMMUNE SYSTEM and destruction of cells (see Richard, 1997).
References
Richard J.L. (1997) Gliotoxin, a mycotoxin associated with cases of avian aspergillosis. Journal of Natural Toxins 6:11–18.
Shields S.A., Gilson J.M., Blakemore W.F. & Franklin R.J.M. (1999) Remyelination occurs as extensively but more slowly in old rats compared to young rats following gliotoxin-induced S+CNS demyelination. Glia 28:77–83.
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