Ultrastructural localization of sympathetic axons in experimental rat sciatic nerve neuromas

The ultrastructural localization of sympathetic axons was investigated in normal rat sciatic nerves and experimental sciatic nerve neuromas. The best ultrastructural localization of noradrenaline in the dense-cored vesicles of sympathetic axons was accomplished following pretreatment of rats with nialamide and 5-hydroxy dopamine, followed by fixation according to the modified chromaffin technique of Tranzer and Richards (1976). After such preparation, sympathetic axons containing 5-hydroxy dopamine-labelled dense-cored vesicles could be identified in normal sciatic nerve. Large accumulations of labelled dense-cored vesicles were also found in acute neuromas, up to 1 week after nerve section. Much smaller numbers of dense-cored vesicles could be identified in chronic neuromas from 2 to 3 weeks following nerve section. Sympathetic axons could also be identified following electron probe X-ray microanalysis of the tissue sections, using chromium detection as the marker for the noradrenaline-containing dense-cored vesicles. Unusual configurations of Schwann cell subunits, which enclosed myelinated fibres and sympathetic axon sprouts within the same basal lamina, were identified in the acute neuromas, 3-7 days after nerve section. Such configurations may be of relevance to the pathophysiological interaction which develops between sympathetic efferent and sensory fibres in peripheral nerve neuromas.