Ureteral axon damage following subcutaneous administration of capsaicin in adult rats.
Systemic administration of capsaicin to adult rats results in the death of almost 90% of the axons in the ureter. Because of the massive axon loss we presume that sensory and possibly some sympathetic axons are killed. By contrast sensory axons in the dorsal root do not seem to be affected. We speculate that the axons in the ureter die because they are not protected by sleeves of perineurium. This hypothesis will be tested in subsequent work.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects*; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000187:drug effects*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014513:Ureter / Q000294:innervation*
D002211:Capsaicin