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Pulmonary denervation in the dog.

To produce a chronically lung-denervated animal model, a single-stage surgical procedure was performed on five beagle dogs. A left thoracotomy allowed hilar stripping of the pulmonary contributions to the left vagus nerve and transection of the right vagal trunk. The criterion for denervation was defined as the absence of the Hering-Breuer reflex (HBR). The five denervated dogs (DD) as well as five control dogs (CD) were evaluated for presence of the HBR under pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal, 30 mg/kg) anesthesia. Between the 3rd and 8th wk postsurgery, the HBR was clearly abolished in the DD but present in the CD. By the 12th-14th wk postsurgery, the HBR was again present in the DD. This relatively uncomplicated surgical procedure effectively produced a lung-denervated animal model. However, reinnervation occurred relatively soon, thus demonstrating the importance of regular frequent evaluation of the HBR when using this and any other surgically produced pulmonary denervation model.

Animals↗

Effect of chronic pulmonary denervation on ventilatory responses to exercise.

To assess the role of intrapulmonary receptors on the ventilatory responses to exercise we studied six beagle dogs before and after chronic pulmonary denervation and five dogs before and after sham thoracotomies. Each exercise challenge consisted of 6 min of treadmill exercise with measurements taken during the third minute at 3.2 km/h, 0% grade, and during the third minute at 5.0 km/h, 0% grade. Inspiratory and expiratory airflows were monitored with a low-dead-space latex mask and pneumotachographs coupled to differential pressure transducers. Both pre- and postsurgery, all dogs exhibited a significant arterial hypocapnia and alkalosis during exercise. Denervation of the lungs had no significant effect on minute ventilation at rest or during exercise, although there was a lower frequency and higher tidal volume in the lung-denervated dogs at all measurement periods. Breathing frequency increased significantly during exercise in lung-denervated dogs but to a lesser magnitude than in the control dogs. The changes that occurred in breathing frequency in all animals were due predominantly to the shortening of expiratory time. Inspiratory time did not shorten significantly during exercise following lung denervation. We conclude from these data that intrapulmonary receptors which are deafferented by sectioning the vagi at the hilum are not responsible for setting the level of ventilation during rest or exercise but are involved in determining the pattern of breathing.

Animals↗

Evidence for second metabolic pathway for O2 from PtiO2 measurements in denervated cat carotid body.

O2 microelectrode studies were conducted in the cat carotid body (CB) to investigate the hypothesis that there is a second, low affinity metabolic pathway for O2 in addition to classical oxidative metabolism. Tissue PO2 (PtiO2) and O2 disappearance rates (dPO2/dt) after brief blood flow occlusion were measured with recessed cathode microelectrodes (tip diameter less than 5 microns) at 150 sites in 15 normal cats (controls) and at 154 sites in 5 cats in which one CB had been denervated 2 or 3 days before the experiments. Mean PtiO2 was slightly higher in denervated CBs: 79.6 +/- 1.6 (SE) Torr compared with 76.4 +/- 2.0 Torr for controls (P = not significant). Mean dPO2/dt was 8.4% faster: -8.42 +/- 0.28 Torr/s compared with -7.77 +/- 0.43 Torr/s for controls (P less than 0.05). The O2 consumption rate (VO2), calculated from dPO2/dt correcting for cat oxyhemoglobin, was 7.5% higher: 1.62 and 1.51 ml.100 g-1.min-1, respectively, for denervated and control CBs (P less than 0.05). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, Kmapp (defined as the PtiO2 where dPO2/dt decreased by 50% from the initial rate during the first 3 s after occlusion) was determined for each O2 disappearance curve. After denervation, Kmapp decreased significantly by -47%: 12.0 +/- 1.3 Torr compared with 22.6 +/- 2.5 Torr for controls (P less than 0.01). The data provide evidence for a second metabolic pathway for O2 in the CB that loses its influence on VO2 after denervation.

Animals↗

Activity and motor unit size in partially denervated rat medial gastrocnemius.

The aim of the study was to determine whether increased motoneuron activity induced by treadmill walking would alter the extent of motoneuron sprouting in the partially denervated rat medial gastrocnemius muscle. An extensive partial denervation was effected by unilateral section of the L5 ventral root, and it is very likely that all units remaining in the medial gastrocnemius were used in treadmill walking. Rats were trained for 1.5 h/day and after 14 days were walking at least 1 km/day. Motor unit characteristics were determined 24 days after the partial denervation and were compared with units from partially denervated control (PDC) animals and with units from normal (control) animals. In PDC rats, force developed by slow, fast fatigue-resistant, and fast intermediate-fatigable motor units increased substantially compared with control animals; that of fast-fatigable units did not increase. In partially denervated exercised animals, force developed by slow and fast-fatigue-resistant units showed no further increase, but fast-intermediate- and fast-fatigable units showed significant increases compared with those in PDC animals. The changes in force were closely paralleled by changes in innervation ratios. We concluded that neuronal activity is an important factor in determining the rate of motoneuron sprouting.

Animals↗

Role of denervation in modulating IIb MHC gene expression in response to T(3) plus unloading state.

Previously, we have reported that the combination of hindlimb suspension (HS) and thyroid hormone [triiodothyronine (T(3))] treatment induces the de novo expression of the fast IIb myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene in the soleus. Thus we tested the hypotheses that the induction of IIb MHC expression with HS + T(3) is prevented with denervation and that this IIb induction is regulated by transcriptional processes. Adult female rats were subjected to 2 wk of combined HS + T(3) in which one side of the lower leg was simultaneously denervated. HS + T(3) caused decreased expression of the slow type I MHC and concomitant increases in both the fast type IIx and IIb MHC isoforms in the intact soleus muscle. Denervation prevented the endogenous expression of the IIb MHC gene at both the protein and mRNA levels. Although HS + T(3) intervention was able to markedly increase the expression of the 2.6-kb IIb MHC promoter-reporter construct using direct gene transfer, this induction, however, was not inhibited by denervation. These findings collectively suggest that normal innervation is essential for inducing the unique expression of the IIb MHC in a slow muscle in response to HS + T(3); however, in the denervated muscle, there is a discordance between the regulation of the endogenous IIb MHC gene relative to the exogenous IIb MHC promoter-reporter construct.

Animals↗

Mortality after carotid body denervation in rats.

Carotid body denervation (CBD) in neonatal goats and piglets results in minimal irregular breathing and no fatalities. Redundancy and/or plasticity of peripheral chemosensitivity and a relatively mature ventilatory control system at birth may contribute to the paucity of CBD effects in these species. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that CBD mortality would be greater in neonates of a less mature species such as the rat. We found that the mortality in rats denervated at 2-3 and 7-8 days of age was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in sham-CBD rats. In all surviving rats, pulmonary ventilation during hypoxia was lower in CBD than in sham operated rats 2 days after denervation. In surviving rats denervated during the 7th and 8th postnatal days, there was also reduced weight gain and pulmonary ventilation during eupnea, including apneas up to 20 s in duration. However, the effects of CBD were compensated within 3 wk after denervation. Local injections of NaCN indicated that aortic chemoreceptors might have been one of the sites of recovery of peripheral chemosensitivity. We concluded that CBD has higher mortality in newborn rats than in other mammals, possibly because of the relative immaturity of these animals at birth. Nonetheless, in survivors there was enough redundancy and plasticity in the control of breathing to eventually compensate for the consequences of CBD.

Age Factors↗

Effect of neonatal denervation of hindlimb digits on the somatotopic organization of lumbar spinocervical tract neurons in the cat.

1. The effect of transection and ligation of the digital nerves of either one (toe 3) or two (toe 3 and toe 4) hindpaw digits, in the first postnatal week, on the tactile receptive fields (RFs) of spinocervical tract (SCT) neurons was studied in adult, alpha-chloralose-anesthetized cats. Immediately before recording, the digital nerves of the corresponding digit(s) of the opposite, intact hindpaw were transected, and the neonatally lesioned digital nerves were recut proximal to the transection neuroma. 2. In the medial part of the dorsal horn at the L6-L7 level, the digits of the hindlimb are represented in the RFs of SCT cells in a precise axial sequence from the most medial digit (toe 2) rostrally to the most lateral digit (toe 5) caudally. Acute denervation of one or two digits in the adult produced an area in the ipsilateral dorsal horn in which SCT cells lacked any RFs. When acute denervation was restricted to a single digit, the unresponsive region of dorsal horn was approximately 3 mm in length, and when two digits were denervated the unresponsive zone was approximately 6 mm long. Because the representation of the toes of the left hindpaw is a mirror image of that of the right, the rostrocaudal extent and position of the region of unresponsive SCT cells was used to assess the location of the borders of the chronically deprived region on the opposite side of the cord. 3. In all cats examined after neonatal denervation of toe 3, most (89%) of the SCT cells sampled within the chronically deprived toe 3 representation had RFs. These RFs were either on toe 2 (44%) or toe 4 (18%), and a large proportion of cells (38%) had multiple RFs with components on both toe 2 and toe 4. In most cases the cells fired briskly to displacement of hairs or light touch of the skin within these RFs. SCT cells with a RF on toe 2 and/or toe 4 were found throughout the whole 3-mm length of the chronically deprived toe 3 region, but cells with a RF on toe 2 were more commonly found than cells with a RF on toe 4 at axial distances greater than or equal to 1.5 mm from the boundary of the normal representations of the respective digit. 4. After chronic, neonatal denervation of both toe 3 and toe 4, 59% of SCT cells sampled overall had RFs, but there was a large degree of interanimal variation in the proportion of unresponsive neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Altered taste responses in adult NST after neonatal chorda tympani denervation.

Anatomic and behavioral changes have been observed in the taste system after peripheral deafferentation, but their physiological consequences remain unknown. Interestingly, a recent behavioral study suggested that peripheral denervation could induce central plasticity. After neonatal chorda tympani (CT) transection, adult rats demonstrated a marked preference for a normally avoided salt, NH(4)Cl. In the present study, taste responses were recorded from the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) in similarly CT-denervated rats to investigate a physiological basis for this behavioral phenomenon. We hypothesized that alterations in functional connectivity of remaining afferent nerves might underlie the behavioral change. Specifically, if NST neurons formerly activated by sodium-selective CT fibers were instead driven by more broadly tuned glossopharyngeal (GL) afferents, neural coding of salt responses would be altered. Such a change should be accompanied by a shift in orotopic representation and increased NH(4)Cl responses. This hypothesis was not supported. After CT denervation, orotopy was unaltered, NH(4)Cl responsiveness declined, and no other changes occurred that could simply explain the behavioral effects. Indeed, the most pronounced consequence of CT denervation was a 68% reduction in NaCl responses, supporting previous evidence for a critical role of this nerve in coding sodium salts. In addition, we found "reorganizational" changes similar to, albeit smaller than, those observed in other sensory systems after deafferentation. There was a trend for increased responses elicited by stimulation of receptor subpopulations innervated by the GL and greater superficial petrosal nerves. In addition, the spontaneous rate of nasoincisor duct-responsive cells increased significantly. This effect on spontaneous rate is opposite to that produced by CT anesthesia, suggesting that acute versus chronic denervation may affect central taste neurons differently. In conclusion, the taste system at the medullary level seems more resistant to large-scale plasticity than other sensory systems, but nevertheless reacts to lost afferent input. Because the most robust plastic changes have been documented at cortical levels in other sensory pathways, the substrate for the behavioral effect of neonatal CT transection may be located more centrally in the gustatory system.

Afferent Pathways↗

Wound healing in denervated rat groin skin flap.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of denervation on dermal wound healing in rat groin skin flaps for 1-10 weeks. The structural differences between wounds in normal and in denervated skin were investigated histologically using Herovici's staining. Pro alpha1(I) collagen mRNA levels were studied using Northern hybridization. Denervation and reinnervation of the skin flaps was demonstrated with quantitative noradrenaline determination and immunohistochemically using neurofilament and S-100 antibodies. Denervation of the skin did not seem to have any apparent effects on wound healing as assessed by light microscopy. There were no significant differences in pro alpha1(I) collagen mRNA levels either. The thin muscle layer underlying the skin was the only element that clearly responded to the denervation.

Animals↗

Effect of selective denervation of the rat pancreas on pancreatic endocrine function.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of selective denervation of the rat pancreas on hormone secretion and on peripheral insulin sensitivity. Thirteen rats, 7 denervated and 6 sham operated, received an intravenous glucose challenge for 30 min. The basal plasma levels of insulin, glucagon and glucose did not differ between the two groups. An augmented insulin response to glucose was detected in the denervated group, whereas the glucagon response was unaffected. Glucose tolerance was marginally improved. Twenty-four rats, 12 denervated and 12 sham operated, received a constant infusion of glucose, insulin, epinephrine and propranolol in order to inhibit the endogenous insulin release and thus evaluate insulin sensitivity. No significant change in insulin sensitivity could be detected during our experimental conditions. We conclude that selective denervation brings about an increased insulin response to glucose, probably by interrupting a catecholaminergic negative tone on the beta-cell. The sympathectomized animals did not disclose any apparent changes in peripheral insulin sensitivity.

Animals↗

Morphological alterations in small intestine of rats with myenteric plexus denervation.

We aimed to investigate the effect of myenteric denervation by benzalkonium chloride (BAC) on small intestine morphology in the rat, and whether segmental myenteric denervation alters morphology elsewhere in the small intestine. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into 4 groups: control (0.9% NaCl); denervation (0.062% BAC); chemical inflammation (5% acetic acid), and intraluminal stasis produced by partial obstruction. 28 days after operation tissue samples were taken from the treated segment, 10 cm distal to the treated segment, and 20 cm proximal to the treated segment. Morphological changes and the number of ganglion cells were examined under the light microscope. BAC application reduced the number of myenteric neurons by 85% in the treated segment. Denervation increased villus height and crypt depth in the treated and proximal segments. But changes in muscle thickness were seen throughout the intestine. As a result, although myenteric plexus denervation caused mucosa morphology in the treated and proximal segments, it caused smooth muscle changes throughout the small intestine.

Animals↗

Alteration of cyclopiazonic acid-mediated contracture of mouse diaphragm after denervation.

As a major Ca(2+) source for muscle contraction, the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal muscle maintains its Ca(2+) content by uptake of myoplasmic Ca(2+) and by replenishment with extracellular Ca(2+). Since transection of motor nerve alters the functions of SR Ca(2+) pump and sarcolemma ion channels, this study explored the effect of denervation on the contracture evoked by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), an inhibitor of SR Ca(2+) pump. In innervated hemidiaphragm, CPA elicited a bimodal elevation of muscle tone, which was dependent on extracellular Ca(2+) and differentially inhibited by pretreatment with 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborane (APB) and U73122. Activation of muscle Na(+) channels to simulate denervation-induced membrane depolarization did not change the contracture profile. After denervation for 5-14 days when the contracture induced by caffeine was not yet depressed, CPA elicited only APB-sensitive monophasic contracture. Stimulation of ATP-regulated K(+) channels with lemakalim hyperpolarized muscle membrane and attenuated CPA contracture in denervated, but not innervated, hemidiaphragm. The effects of lemakalim were antagonized by glybenclamide. It is inferred that the bimodal CPA contracture is resulted from distinct recruitments of Ca(2+) entry and that denervation alters the voltage dependence and down-regulates CPA-mediated Ca(2+) influx.

Action Potentials↗

Sinoaortic denervation alters the molecular and endocrine responses to salt loading.

Neuroanatomical and physiological evidence indicates that baroreceptors influence hypothalamic vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) neurons. We evaluated the effects of sinoaortic denervation (SAD) on the molecular and endocrine response to salt loading. Sham-operated or SAD rats were given a 2% NaCl solution to drink for 72 h. A group with limited salt water intake was included as a second control because the denervated rats consumed less salt than the controls. Plasma VP, OT and osmolality and posterior pituitary peptide content were measured. Brains were processed for evaluation of VP and OT mRNA expression using in situ hybridization with computer quantitation. Salt loading produced equivalent increases in plasma VP and OT in the control and SAD groups, however, there was a greater depletion of posterior pituitary peptides in the denervated animals. Salt loading produced significant decreases in pituitary VP and OT in the SAD animals, 69.8 +/- 8.4% and 68.3 +/- 4.0%, respectively. In the control groups, there was no decrease in VP content and a decrease in OT only in the control ad lib group. The peptide mRNA response to salt loading was also altered in the denervated rats. There was a significant increase in the area and intensity of the labeling for OT mRNA in the PVN in the SAD salt group. The control salt rats showed an increase in the SON and the salt-limited group showed no changes. For VP mRNA, the only change noted was in the SON of the salt-loaded SAD animals. These results show that chronic denervation of arterial baroreceptors augments the hypothalamic VP and OT response to salt loading.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

The effect of denervation upon the in vitro incorporation of adenosine-8-3H into 3H-adenine nucleotides in the guinea-pig vas deferens.

After denervation of the guinea-pig vas deferens (1, 2, 4 and 8 days) there is a profound fall in the endogenous levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) initially to 54% of control at day 1, with a subsequent rise to 80% by day 8 post-operatively. Theoretically, alterations in the synthetic rate of ATP formation or its utilization could account for the changes in endogenous ATP concentration. These possibilities were evaluated in the present study. Using an in vitro incubation system and adenosine-8-3H as a precursor, experiments demonstrated the feasibility of labeling the synthetic pathway primarily as 3H-AMP, 3H-ADP and 3H-ATP with the latter nucleotide constituting the largest fraction. This incorporation into 3H-nucleotides was linear with time up to 30 min and was dependent on the concentration of adenosine-8-3H used. Studies on the incorporation of adenosine-8-3H at 1, 2, 4 and 8 days after denervation showed no difference in the ability of innervated and denervated vasa deferentia to accumulate total 3H-nucleotides, although there was an alteration in 3H-AMP metabolism in the denervated tissue. Possible explanations for the alteration in 3H-AMP metabolism are discussed. A change in the rate of utilization rather than a change in rate of synthesis, is suggested as an explanation for the alterations in ATP content observed after denervation.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

The effects of denervation on the localization of delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in the rat ovary during pregnancy.

The effect of denervation on delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) activity with pregnenolone as substrate was studied during pregnancy. The enzyme activity, that is interpreted as the capacity to secrete progesterone, was studied in both control and experimental pregnant rats. The ovaries of experimental rats were denervated 96 h prior to sacrifice. Denervation during early pregnancy did not affect 3beta-HSD activity in the interstitial gland (IG) and corpus luteum (CL). However, denervation resulted in decreased activity in both the IG and CL on days 10, 14 and 18. This reduced activity is interpreted as a decreased capacity of denervated ovaries to synthesize progesterone at this time in pregnancy.

Animals↗

Renal denervation prevents intraglomerular platelet aggregation and glomerular injury induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis.

Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits platelet adhesion and aggregation in vitro. In vivo, chronic inhibition of NO synthesis induces nephrosclerosis and hypertension. Although the pathophysiological mechanism of this glomerular injury has not been clarified, sympathetic nerve activation, a potent procoagulant stimulus elicited by NO inhibition, may play a role. To investigate the role of renal sympathetic nerves in the development of renal injury induced by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a specific NO synthesis inhibitor, we examined renal histological changes in four groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: (1) sham operated, vehicle treated; (2) sham operated, L-NAME treated; (3) denervated, vehicle treated, and (4) denervated, L-NAME treated. Following renal denervation or sham operation, L-NAME was administered orally for 4 weeks. Chronic NO inhibition induced platelet aggregation and erythrocyte stasis in the glomerular capillary lumen accompanied by electron-microscopic glomerular injury. Renal denervation abrogated platelet aggregation and glomerular injury in L-NAME-treated animals. Thus, chronic NO synthesis inhibition induced intraglomerular platelet aggregation and glomerular injury, which was attenuated by renal nerve denervation. These results suggest that intrinsic NO may have an antithrombotic effect in the glomeruli and may play a protective role in the progression of glomerular injury possibly mediated by renal sympathetic nerves.

Albuminuria↗

Renal denervation abolishes hypertension in low-birth-weight offspring from pregnant rats with reduced uterine perfusion.

Low birth weight is a risk factor for the subsequent development of hypertension in humans. We previously reported that reduced uterine perfusion in the pregnant rat results in growth-restricted offspring predisposed to the development of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the sympathetic nervous system plays a role in mediating hypertension in this model of low birth weight. Weight at birth was significantly decreased in male growth-restricted offspring (5.9+/-0.1 grams) as compared with male control offspring (6.5+/-0.2 grams; P<0.05). At 10 weeks of age, growth-restricted offspring and control offspring were randomly assigned to either an intact group (sham-denervated) or a group subjected to bilateral renal denervation. For sham-denervated offspring, mean arterial pressure was significantly elevated in growth-restricted offspring (145+/-4 mm Hg; n=7) as compared with control offspring (134+/-3 mm Hg; P<0.05; n=9) at 12 weeks of age. Bilateral renal denervation resulted in a marked reduction in arterial pressure in growth-restricted offspring (125+/-3 mm Hg; P<0.01; difference of 20 mm Hg versus sham growth-restricted; n=8) but no significant decrease in control offspring (127+/-3 mm Hg; difference of 7 mm Hg versus sham control; n=9). Adequacy of renal denervation was verified by >90% reduction in renal norepinephrine content. Therefore, these findings indicate the renal nerves play an important role in mediating hypertension in adult growth-restricted offspring.

Animals↗

Renal denervation does not abolish sustained baroreflex-mediated reductions in arterial pressure.

Recent studies indicate that suppression of renal sympathetic nerve activity and attendant increments in renal excretory function are sustained baroreflex-mediated responses in hypertensive animals. Given the central role of the kidneys in long-term regulation of arterial pressure, we hypothesized that the chronic blood pressure-lowering effects of the baroreflex are critically dependent on intact renal innervation. This hypothesis was tested in 6 dogs by bilaterally activating the carotid baroreflex electrically for 7 days before and after bilateral renal denervation. Before renal denervation, control values for mean arterial pressure and plasma norepinephrine concentration were 95+/-2 mm Hg and 96+/-12 pg/mL, respectively. During day 1 of baroreflex activation, mean arterial pressure decreased 13+/-1 mm Hg, and there was modest sodium retention. Daily sodium balance was subsequently restored, but reductions in mean arterial pressure were sustained throughout the 7 days of baroreflex activation. Activation of the baroreflex was associated with sustained decreases in plasma norepinephrine concentration ( approximately 50%) and plasma renin activity (30% to 40%). All of the values returned to control levels during a 7-day recovery period. Two weeks after renal denervation, control values for mean arterial pressure, plasma norepinephrine concentration, plasma renin activity, and sodium excretion were comparable to those measured when the renal nerves were intact. Moreover, after renal denervation, all of the responses to activation of the baroreflex were similar to those observed before renal denervation. These findings demonstrate that the presence of the renal nerves is not an obligate requirement for achieving long-term reductions in arterial pressure during prolonged activation of the baroreflex.

Animals↗