title: The effects of bilateral vagotomy on substance P-like immunoreactive nerves in the cardiac ganglia of the monkey (Macaca fascicularis).
abstract: The present study showed that neural degeneration occurred in the cardiac ganglia after bilateral vagotomy. At 1 week after operation, a majority of the substance P-like immunoreactive (SP-IR) nerve fibres were affected and they showed signs of degeneration. SP-IR nerve endings forming the pericellular baskets around seemingly normal neuronal cell bodies were also degenerated. By 2 weeks after operation, numerous macrophage-like cells infiltrated the cardiac ganglia and they engulfed the degenerating SP-IR cellular debris. At 3 months after operation, a few fine SP-IR nerve fibres were detected in the cardiac ganglia, together with a few small solitary SP-IR neurons. At 6-12 months after operation, numerous SP-IR nerve fibres were observed in the cardiac ganglia. Some of the SP-IR nerve endings started to form pericellular baskets around the seemingly normal neuronal cell bodies. It is concluded that there is reinnervation of the heart by SP-IR nerve fibres after surgical interruption to both vagi. However, the origin of these SP-IR nerve fibres and terminals remains unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Tay
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014628:Vagotomy
chemical_list: D013373:Substance P