title: Invasion of the rat ventral root L5 by putative sympathetic C-fibers after neonatal sciatic nerve crush.
abstract: The present study examines the occurrence of C-fibers in lumbar ventral roots after sciatic nerve crush in neonatal and adult rats. Electron microscopic analysis showed that the number of C-fibers in the ventral root L5 increased significantly on the lesion side after neonatal but not adult sciatic nerve crush and that the number of C-fibers was higher in the ventral root L5 on the unoperated side compared to this root in normal control rats. In order to determine whether the new C-fibers in the L5 root on the lesion side are sensory or sympathetic we made immunohistochemical studies on roots from neonatally crushed rats. We found that there was no obvious lesion side/contralateral side or operated rat/control rat difference with respect to the occurrence and general configuration of axons with substance P-, calcitonin gene-related peptide- or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-like immunoreactivity. However, the occurrence of axons with tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity appeared clearly higher in the ventral root L5 on the lesion side compared to the unoperated side in neonatally crushed rats. Moreover, these axons seemed to be more numerous also in the ventral root L5 on the unoperated side compared to normal control rats. No lesion side/contralateral side or operated rat/control rat differences were seen in the ventral root L4. We propose that the ventral root L5 is invaded by putative sympathetic C-fibers after sciatic nerve crush lesions in newborn rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hildebrand
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis; D017779:Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic / Q000502:physiology*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000032:analysis; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D013373:Substance P; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide