Sympathetic neuronal survival factors change after denervation.

The increase in sympathetic neuronal survival factors in the hearts of rats chemically denervated with 6-hydroxydopamine has been examined after biochemical fractionation techniques. Affinity chromatography and gel filtration of extracts of control hearts have demonstrated the existence of two major components, neither of which is nerve growth factor (NGF). The concentrations of both of these components and of NGF are increased significantly after denervation.