Effects of oral administration of nerve growth factor and of its antiserum on sympathetic ganglia of neonatal mice.

When NGF is orally administered to neonatal mice at the daily doses of 10 micrograms/animal for a 1-week period, a marked volume increase of para- and prevertebral sympathetic ganglia and neuronal hypertrophy are produced. Conversely oral administration of NGF antiserum to NGF for the same length of time, produces destruction of sympathetic nerve cells. The NGF effects correlate with the appearance in blood of this molecule in a biologically active form.