Related Experiment Videos
Sympathectomy induces novel purinergic sensitivity in sciatic afferents
1Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
Acta Pharmacologica Sinica
|August 15, 2001
Summary
Surgical sympathectomy created new purinergic sensitivity in sciatic nerve A-afferents in rats. These nerve fibers responded to adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) after sympathectomy, unlike in intact rats.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- The role of the sympathetic nervous system in sensory nerve function is not fully understood.
- Investigating changes in nerve sensitivity after surgical intervention is crucial for understanding neural plasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if surgical sympathectomy induces new purinergic sensitivity in sciatic nerve afferents.
- To investigate the effect of adenosine 5 '-triphosphate (ATP) on nerve fiber activity post-sympathectomy.
Main Methods:
- Teased-fiber recordings were performed on spontaneously active A-afferents from the sciatic nerves of sympathectomized and intact rats.
- Adenosine 5 '-triphosphate (ATP) was administered intravenously to assess nerve fiber responses.
Main Results:
- Twenty-eight percent of sciatic nerve A-afferents in sympathectomized rats exhibited a response to ATP, showing either increased or decreased firing.
- None of the sciatic nerve A-afferents in intact control rats responded to ATP administration.
Conclusions:
- Sympathectomy leads to the development of novel purinergic sensitivity in sciatic nerve A-afferents.
- This finding suggests a significant impact of sympathetic denervation on the sensory nerve response to purinergic signaling.