Urinary bladder innervation in male rat: termination of primary afferents in the spinal cord as determined by transganglionic transport of WGA-HRP.

The distribution of afferents innervating the urinary bladder in the spinal cord of male rats has been studied with the axonal tracer horseradish peroxidase conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin (WGA-HRP) injected into various portions of one side of the urinary bladder (dome, body, base, or neck) and other pelvic organs (prostate and rectum). Labeled neurons were found in dorsal root ganglia of the lumbosacral cord (L1-S3, peak in S1-S2). The strongest and most extensive transganglionic labeling of primary afferents resulted after injections in the body of the bladder. Primary afferents were observed bilaterally in Lissauer's tract and laminae I-II at the apex of the dorsal horn, from L6 to S3. The projection extended laterally up to the sacral parasympathetic nucleus and medially up to the gray matter dorsal to the central canal, where they formed a plexus of fibers and terminals. Deposits in the dome and base of the bladder labeled more heavily the medial projection, while the least intense projection was seen after injections in the bladder neck. Our results indicate a common pattern of termination of primary afferents from the bladder, although some topographical differences exist.