An experimental study of retrograde axonal plasmatic flow in the peripheral nerves of rats

Retrograde axonal flow (R.A.F.) in the sciatic nerve of Sprague Dowley rats was studied by injecting horseradish peroxidase (H.R.P.) peripherally and identifying its appearance in the related segment of the spinal cord. This called for a precise identification of the vertebro-medullary topography, the afferant root levels of the sciatic nerve, and the transport velocity of the H.R.P. Our study revealed a clear difference of neuromuscular end plate permeability as between new-born and adult animals. The vertebral column of the rat consists of 8 cervical metameres, 13 dorsal, 6 lumbar, 4 sacral, and 3 coccygeal. The sciatic nerve is derived principally from the roots L4, L5, L6 and in part from L3 and S1. The injection of H.R.P. in the sural triceps of the new-born rat produced granules in the anterior horn cells as early as 12 hours later. In similar experiments with adult rats H.R.P. in the motorneurons was never detected. In our experimental model the transport velocity of H.R.P. from the point of injection to the anterior horn cells was approximately 68 mm per day. These findings provide a foundation on which to base future studies of retrograde flows in conditions of induced pathology.