Kummer W, Oberst P
Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, FRG.
J Auton Nerv Syst. 1993 Jan;42(1):71-80. doi: 10.1016/0165-1838(93)90343-s.
Previous electrophysiological studies have revealed a peripheral sensory input to the stellate ganglion which does not originate from the dorsal root ganglia. The present retrograde tracing study aimed at evaluating whether the parent cell bodies are located in the periphery, i.e. in mediastinal ganglia. Following injection of Fast blue or wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase into the right stellate ganglion of the guinea pig, retrogradely labelled cell bodies were observed in the intermediolateral and intercalated nuclei of the spinal cord as well as in dorsal root ganglia at segmental levels C8 to T6. In another case, the stellate ganglion was resected and replaced by a sponge soaked with 10 microliters of Fast blue. Labelling of preganglionic and sensory neurons parallelled that obtained by tracer injections. In neither case, however, were retrogradely labelled neurons found within or around the thoracic viscera (thymus, trachea, bronchi, esophagus, heart, great vessels of upper mediastinum) when these were cut serially en bloc. Controls performed by injection of Fast blue into the inferior mesenteric ganglion and investigation of the distal colon showed that our experimental protocol was able to visualize a peripheral projection towards a sympathetic ganglion--in this case from myenteric ganglia to the inferior mesenteric ganglion. We conclude that, in contrast to the circuitry connecting prevertebral sympathetic ganglia with the gut, the neuronal cell bodies providing peripheral sensory input from thoracic viscera to the right stellate ganglion most likely are not located within the mediastinal ganglia. Instead, they may reside within the stellate ganglion itself.
以往的电生理研究揭示了星状神经节存在一种并非起源于背根神经节的外周感觉输入。本逆行追踪研究旨在评估其母细胞体是否位于外周，即纵隔神经节内。向豚鼠右侧星状神经节注射快蓝或麦胚凝集素 - 辣根过氧化物酶后，在脊髓的中间外侧核和中间插入核以及C8至T6节段的背根神经节中观察到了逆行标记的细胞体。在另一个案例中，切除星状神经节并用浸泡有10微升快蓝的海绵替代。节前神经元和感觉神经元的标记与通过示踪剂注射获得的标记相似。然而，在这两种情况下，当将胸内脏器（胸腺、气管、支气管、食管、心脏、上纵隔大血管）整块连续切片时，均未在其内部或周围发现逆行标记的神经元。通过将快蓝注入肠系膜下神经节并对远端结肠进行研究的对照实验表明，我们的实验方案能够显示向交感神经节的外周投射——在这个案例中是从肠肌间神经节到肠系膜下神经节。我们得出结论，与连接椎前交感神经节和肠道的神经回路不同，为右侧星状神经节提供来自胸内脏器的外周感觉输入的神经元细胞体很可能并不位于纵隔神经节内。相反，它们可能存在于星状神经节本身。
