Morphologic pattern of the intrinsic ganglionated nerve plexus in the mouse heart

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Both normal and genetically modified mice are excellent models to investigate molecular mechanisms of arrhythmogenic cardiac diseases that may associate with an imbalance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous input to the heart. OBJECTIVE: We sought to: (1) determine the structural organization of the mouse cardiac neural plexus; (2) identify extrinsic neural sources and their relationship with the cardiac plexus; and (3) reveal any anatomical differences in the cardiac plexus between mouse and other species. METHODS: Cardiac nerve structures were visualized employing histochemical staining for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on whole heart and thorax-dissected preparations derived from 25 mice. To confirm reliability of staining parasympathetic and sympathetic neural components in the mouse heart we applied a histochemical method for AChE and imunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and/or choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) on whole mounts preparations from 6 mice. RESULTS: The double immunohistochemical labeling of TH and ChAT on AChE positive neural elements in mouse whole mounts demonstrated equal staining of nerves and ganglia for AChE that were positive for both TH and ChAT. The extrinsic cardiac nerves access the mouse heart at the right (RCV) and left (LCV) cranial veins and interblend within the ganglionated nerve plexus of the heart hilum that is persistently localized on the heart base. Nerves and bundles of nerve fibers extend epicardially from this plexus to atria and ventricles by left dorsal, dorsal right atrial, right ventral, and ventral left atrial routes or subplexuses. The RCV received extrinsic nerves mainly originated from the right cervicothoracic ganglion and a branch of the right vagus nerve, while the LCV was supplied by extrinsic nerves from the left cervicothoracic ganglion and the left vagus nerve. [...].