title: Characterization of spinal afferent neurons projecting to different chambers of the rat heart.
abstract: The pattern of distribution of spinal afferent neurons (among dorsal root ganglia-DRGs) that project to anatomically and functionally different chambers of the rat heart, as well as their morphological and neurochemical characteristics were investigated. Retrograde tracing using a patch loaded with Fast blue (FB) was applied to all four chambers of the rat heart and labeled cardiac spinal afferents were characterized by using three neurochemical markers. The majority of cardiac projecting neurons were found from T1 to T4 DRGs, whereas the peak was at T2 DRG. There was no difference in the total number of FB-labeled neurons located in ipsilateral and contralateral DRGs regardless of the chambers marked with the patch. However, significantly more FB-labeled neurons projected to the ventricles compared to the atria (859 vs. 715). The proportion of isolectin B(4) binding in FB-labeled neurons was equal among all neurons projecting to different heart chambers (2.4%). Neurofilament 200 positivity was found in greater proportions in DRG neurons projecting to the left side of the heart, whereas calretinin-immunoreactivity was mostly represented in neurons projecting to the left atrium. Spinal afferent neurons projecting to different chambers of the rat heart exhibit a variety of neurochemical phenotypes depending on binding capacity for isolectin B(4) and immunoreactivity for neurofilament 200 and calretinin, and thus represent important baseline data for future studies.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine in Split, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embriology, Soltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia. maja.marinovic.guic@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maja Marinović
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Guić
authors.forename: Vana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kosta
authors.forename: Jure
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aljinović
authors.forename: Damir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sapunar
authors.forename: Ivica
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grković
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D000578:Amidines; D000818:Animals; D064032:Calbindin 2; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000294:innervation*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D056325:Neuronal Tract-Tracers; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000378:metabolism; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000578:Amidines; C576512:Calb2 protein, rat; D064032:Calbindin 2; D037102:Lectins; D056325:Neuronal Tract-Tracers; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; C031455:diamidino compound 253-50