Sympathectomy induces novel purinergic sensitivity in sciatic afferents.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that sympathectomy could induce novel purinergic sensitivity in sciatic afferents.


METHODS
Teased-fiber recordings were made from 32 spontaneously active A afferents from the sciatic nerves in surgically sympathectomized rats and 30 spontaneously active A afferents from the sciatic nerves in intact rats. Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) was injected via a cannula in jugular vein.


RESULTS
Twenty eight percent of the spontaneously active afferent fibers from sciatic nerves in the sympathectomized rats responded to ATP, either with an increase or with a decrease in spontaneous firing. However, none of the fibers from the sciatic nerves in the intact rats was activated by ATP.


CONCLUSIONS
Sympathectomy induces novel purinergic sensitivity in A afferents from sciatic nerve.
Chen
Y
Y
Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
Zhang
Y H
YH
Bie
B H
BH
Zhao
Z Q
ZQ
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004594:Electrophysiology; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000502:physiology*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013562:Sympathectomy
D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate