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Showa Univ. J. Med. Sci. 1(1.2), 7-.22, December 1989
Original
Topographical and Morphological Studies of the Cardiac
Ganglia in the Prenatal Rat
Keh-Min Liu1) and Seiichiro INOKUCHI2)
Abstract: The loci and morphology of cardiac ganglia in the heart of prenatal rats were investigated at days 15 (D15), 18 (D18), and 21 (D21) of gestation. Ganglion cells were estimated in serial transverse sections of the hearts and adjacent organs.
All ganglion cells were distributed above the coronary sulcus. Six to seven
various sized groups of ganglion cells were located: (1) between the right
superior vena cava and ascending aorta, (2) between the right pulmonary artery
and trachea, (3) between the right pulmonary artery and right bronchus, (4)
dorsal to the right atrium, (5) dorsal to the left atrium, (6) in the region of the
dorsal interatrial groove and interatrial septum, (7) in the region including the
left bronchus, right inferior pulmonary vein, and left superior vena cava. The
ganglia contained small, densely stained ganglion cells, some nerve fibers, small
unidentified cells and capillaries. The irregular shaped ganglion cells were
characterized by large, round nuclei, thin layers of cytoplasm, and a few short
processes. Ganglia from D 18 were encapsulated by connective tissue, and some
ganglion cells were surrounded by satellite cells. The mean nuclear diameter
of cardiac ganglion cells was 4.28ƒÊm at D15, 4.76ƒÊm at D18, and 6.05ƒÊm
at D21, their mean somal diameters were 5.79ƒÊm, 6.23 ƒÊm, and 7.58ƒÊm, and
their mean numbers were 1994.33•}102.31, 5771.65•}233.72 and 6430.37•}
630.64, respectively.
It is concluded from these results that cardiac ganglion cells can be found in
6 to 7 atrial regions in the prenatal rat and their size, number , and maturity increase from D15 to D21, but they migrate with the growth of the fetus.
Key words: fetus, cardiac ganglia, topography, morphology
Introduction
Autonomic control of cardiac functions is necessary for the maintenance of circulatory
homeostasis in changing environmental and behavioral conditions.1 Although several ana-
tomical reports have described the distribution of cardiac ganglia in the rat,1-6) mouse ,6,7) dog,6,8) cat,6,9) guinea pig,6,7) frog,10 and other species,4,6,11) most of these observations
were made on macroscopic preparations or on serial histological sections from adults.
While much is now known about the location of cardiac ganglion cells in adult animals,
little information is available about the prenatal distribution of cardiac ganglion cells in the
embryonic animal heart. Kirby and Stewart12 reported that by stage 11 of chick incubation,
1) Department of Anatomy, Kaohsiung Medical College, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China.2) Department of Anatomy
, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142, Japan.
8 Keh-Min Liu, et al.
cranial neural crest cells from somite 1-3 migrated ventrolaterally to the conotruncal region
of the heart, and aggregated into scattered ganglia. Hoar and Hall13) reported that by
day 25 of gestation, the primordia of the guinea pig cardiac ganglia reached the peripheral
walls of the atria, and at day 26 of gestation, clusters of large round cells could be seen in
several areas of the heart. Hall14) described small ganglia distinguished in the rat mesen-
chyma dorsal to the heart at 141 days of gestation. The considerable species differences
in patterns of development of cardiac innervation reflect variations in the degree of the
neuronal control of the heart. Halll4 reported that at D15 1/2 , cardiac ganglia in the heart
of the fetal rat, can be recognized in most specimens, and at DI 61 , the ganglia are large.
However, there are no quantitative data about the number and size of cardiac ganglion cells
in different fetal development stages of the rat.
Until now, changes in the size of cardiac ganglion cells and their nuclei, and the ratio
of nucleus size to cell body size in the embryonic rat heart seem never to have been studied
during the various developmental stages.
The present study, undertaken to investigate the topographical distribution of cardiac
ganglia, reveals the morphological structures of the ganglion cell, and quantifies and com-
pares the number and size of ganglion cells in different developmental stages of the fetal rat.
Materials and Methods
1. Perfusion and Histology
Female adult Sprague-Dawley rats were mated with males of the same strain and isolated on the morning of finding a vaginal plug and a vaginal smear with sperm, which was de-signated as day zero of gestation. On days 15, 18 and 21, the pregnant rat was anesthetized
with sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/kg, i.p.).The whole chest of each fetal rat was then removed and immersed in fresh 10% neutral
formalin for 7 to 10 days. The heart and attached large blood vessels were carefully dissected and dehydrated in an ascending sequence of ethanol, and embedded in paraffin. Serial 10
p,m thick sections were cut transversely through the whole heart and its large blood vessels. The sections were mounted serially and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, or cresyl violet,
and covered with a coverslip. Quantitative analysis was routinely performed on hematoxylin
and eosin stained sections.
2. Topography and Morphology of Cardiac Ganglia
Under a light microscope, the appearance of a section varies from one specimen to
another due to the variable geometry of the fixed hearts and slightly different angles of the
cutting plane. The distribution of cardiac ganglia seemed to be in slightly different positions,
however, when referred to certain well defined anatomical structures, it was thus not difficult
to correlate ganglion cell groups in different specimens.
Therefore, the descriptions and loci of cardiac ganglia are all presented relative to ana-tomical landmarks. Furthermore, in each developmental stage, 6 transverse sections at dif-ferent levels of the heart were selected and displayed by camera lucida. All structures
with special reference to ganglion cell groups were clearly projected on the tracing paper and marked through a drawing tube to show characteristic distribution of the cardiac gan-
glia. The morphological structures of the cardiac ganglia and ganglion cells were observed and photographed.3. Dimension and Number of Cardiac Ganglion Cells
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat 9
For estimating the diameter of the nucleus and the cell body of cardiac ganglion cells in
the fetal rat, the large aggregates of ganglion cells from Dl 5, Dl 8, and D21 were selected
and microphotographed at a magnification of 400•~. From the enlarged photographs (•~3400)
of each developmental stage, the areas of the ganglion cell bodies and nuclei were traced
with a Houston Hipad digitizer with a resolution of 0.1 mm. The diameter of the nucleus
and soma were then calculated using the formula d=•¬ (d = diameter). For each
stage, the data from 1000 ganglion cells were quantitatively analyzed by the Bioquant sys-tem (R & M Biometrics). To investigate changes in the ratio of nuclei to cell bodies of
cardiac ganglionic neurons in various developmental stages, the areas of nuclei and cell
bodies of 1000 cardiac ganglion cells were measured separately and compared.
To estimate the total number of ganglion cells in the fetal heart in the different develop-
mental stages of rats, the nuclei of cardiac ganglion cells, each with the nucleolus, were
counted through the whole series of transverse sections at 600•~ magnification. The number
of ganglion cells was estimated after the method of Abercrombie.15)
The Student's unpaired t test was used to evaluate differences and confidence limits be-
tween pairs of age groups.
Results
1. Topographical Distribution of Cardiac Ganglia;
The cardiac ganglion cells of fetal rats were located primarily in connective and fatty
tissues, which surrounded the great vessels on the superior part of the heart, and were
present dorsal to the heart among the atria, the bronchi, and the esophagus. Neuronal somata were rarely seen within the subepicardium or within the myocardium, and were
hardly ever seen below the level of the atria and coronary sulcus.
In general, 6-7 major groups of cardiac ganglion cells can be identified in fetal rats.
The presence of these groups is summarized in Table 1, illustrated in Fig. 1, and depicted in the different levels of the heart in Figures 2, 3, and 4. The diagrams in Figures 2, 3 and 4 are composites of pictures obtained from camera lucida drawings of transverse sec-tions of fetal rat hearts at D15, Dl 8 and D21, to show the characteristic distribution of
ganglion cells.
Table 1. The distribution pattern of cardiac ganglia in fetal rats in
three different stages of development.
* Results from the observation of 5 fetal rats .
10 Keh-Min Liu, et al.
Fig. 1. Ventral and dorsal views (A and B) of the distribution of cardiac ganglion cells in the heart of prenatal rat. The numbers and arrows indicate the different groups and locations of these cardiac ganglion cells.
The first or most rostral group of cardiac ganglion cells was located medial to the light superior vena cava and the dorsal aspect of ascending aorta. They were present just above the superior part of the right atrium, and first appeared on the transverse section about the level of the aortic arch. At their most rostral end, they were often located dorsally to the right superior vena cava and more caudally migrated ventrally around the medial aspect of the right superior vena cava (Figs. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A).
The second group of cardiac ganglia was small, was located in an area dorsal to the
aortic arch, and appeared around the bifurcation of the pulmonary trunk. The ganglion
cells of this group extended between the trachea and right pulmonary artery. This group was observed in fetal rats at D15 and Dl 8 only (Figs. 2B, 3B).
The third group of cardiac ganglion cells was small, and was situated mainly dorsal to the right pulmonary artery. It appeared in fetal rats at D21 (Fig. 4B).
The fourth group of cardiac ganglion cells, a large aggregate, was located throughout an
extensive area on the dorsal aspect of the right atrium (Figs. 2C, 3C, 3D, 3E, 4B, 4F).
The rostral pole of these ganglion cells began in the connective tissue between the right
pulmonary artery and right atrium, spread caudally and extensively in the space formed by the posterior wall of the right atrium, right bronchus, right superior pulmonary vein, and
right inferior pulmonary vein. The fourth group finally terminated at the level of the
termination of the superior vena cava.
The fifth group of cardiac ganglion cells was posterior to the left atrium. This was a
large group and included cells that were located behind the mid- and caudal portions of the left atrium (Figs. 2C, 2D, 2E, 3C, 3D, 3E, 4D, 4E). It appeared first within the pos-
terior wall of the left atrium, left pulmonary artery, and left bronchus; and then extended
caudally between the posterior wall of the left atrium and left superior vena cava. The cells
of the fifth cardiac ganglion group terminated at the level of the entrance of the left superior versaa cava into the coronary sinus.
The sixth group of cardiac ganglion cells was in the region of the interatrial groove.
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat 11
Fig. 2. Diagrams at 6 transverse levels of the heart of a D15 rat show the major regions in which ganglion cells were located. In this figure and figures 3 and 4, numbers refer to the ganglion cell group described in the text. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.
12 Keh-Min Liu, et al.
Fig. 3. Diagrams at 6 transverse levels of a rat heart at D18 show the major locations of cardiac ganglion cells. Scale bars=0.5 mm.
The rostral pole of these cells began in the connective tissue above the intersection of the right and left atria, extended caudally to the interatrial groove, and then in a dorsal and caudal direction to spread behind the interatrial septum and the entrance of the coronary
sinus into the right atrium (Figs. 2D, 3E, 3F, 4F).The seventh group of cardiac ganglion cells was in the inferior portion of the interatrial
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat 13
Fig. 4. Diagrams at 6 transverse levels of the heart of a D21 rat show the major sites in which ganglion cells were located. Scale bars=0.5 mm.
septum, rostral to the A-V node. This group was very small and was only observed in the fetal rats of E21. The ganglion cells were embedded in the wall of interatrial septum and
surrounded by cardiac muscle (Fig. 4E).The eighth group of cardiac ganglion cells was located on the dorsal aspect of the left
atrium, close to the left superior vena cava and the coronary sulcus. This group was usually situated among the right inferior pulmonary vein, left bronchus, and left superior vena cava
(Figs. 2F, 3F, 4F).Throughout the study of all transverse sections of the whole heart, no ganglion cells
14 Keh-Min Liu, et al.
Fig. 5. A. Light micrograph of transverse section of the heart of a D15 rat shows cardiac
ganglion cells (arrowheads) located dorsal to the atria. H.E. stain, •~190. B. Higher mag- nification of part of Fig. 5A. The ganglion cell (arrow) consists of a large, round nucleus
and cytoplasm. H.E. stain. C. Higher magnification of cresyl fast violet-stained ganglion
cells from the heart of a D15 rat. Arrows indicate some of the ganglion cells.
Fig. 6. A. Light micrograph of transverse section of the heart of a D18 rat shows the cardiac
ganglion cells (arrowheads) located between the right atrium (RA), the right bronchus (RB)
, and the left inferior pulmonary vein (LIPV). H.E. stain, •~190. B. A higher mag-
nification of part of Fig. 6A. The irregular shaped ganglion cell (arrow) is characterized by
a large nucleus with condensed chromatin, and a thin layer of cytoplasm. Occasional satellite
cells can be seen. H.E. stain. C. Higher magnification of cresyl fast violet-stained ganglion
cells (arrows) from the heart of D18 rat.
Fig. 7. A. Light micrograph of transverse section of the heart of a D21 rat shows groups 4
and 7 of cardiac ganglion cells (arrows). H.E. stain, •~190. B. Higher magnification of
part of Fig. 7A. The ganglion cell (arrow) consists of a large, light stained nucleus and a
thin layer of darkly stained cytoplasm. Arrowheads indicate satellite cells of the ganglion
cell. H.E. stain. C. Higher magnification of cresyl fast violet-stained ganglion cells (arrows).
Arrowheads show the darkly stained satellite cells of the ganglion cell.
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat
15
were observed on the ventral surface of the two atria or on the ventral interatrial groove.
2. Morphological Structures of Cardiac Ganglia:
The morphology of the cardiac ganglia of fetal rats varied considerably, ranging from
loosely dispersed to highly compacted structures and from 400•~500 pm in size down to
just a few ganglion cells. The intermediate power photographs of Figs. 5A, 6A, and 7A
illustrate a large group of cardiac ganglia in the posterior wall of the atrium. In the heart
of 15D fetal rats, the cardiac ganglia consisted of small, densely stained ganglion cells, which
were loosely distributed and were not surrounded by capsules (Fig. 5A). Some nerve fibers,
small unidentified cells and capillaries were interspersed among the ganglion cells. The gan-
glion cells of the cardiac ganglia can be identified by their round or oval shaped, large nuclei
and deeply stained nuclear membranes. The round nucleoli were uniformly darker than the
nucleoplasm and occasionally two in number. The nucleus was surrounded by a thin layer
of cytoplasm (Fig. 5B), which could be seen clearly by using cresyl violet stain (Fig. 5C).
Occasionally, some short processes extending from the cell body could be seen, but both the
cell body and processes lacked satellite cell covering.
In the 18D rat heart, the cardiac ganglion was composed of loosely aggregated, darkly stained cells (Fig. 6A). Sometimes, numerous ganglion cells forming a large aggregation were
surrounded by a thin layer capsule. Usually, the ganglion cells were interspersed with fine blood vessels and nerve fibers. The ganglion cells were characterized by round to oval nuclei with a darkly stained, thin nuclear membrane. The nuclei were large in relation to the cyto-
plasmic mass and tended to be located in eccentric positions (Fig. 6B). The darkly stained nucleoli were slightly ovoid or round, and were sometimes two in number. In addition to the nucleoli, there were usually several darkly stained chromatin granules spread within the
nucleus (Fig. 6B). Occasionally, cytoplasmic processes projected from the cell body.In the cresyl violet stained sections, the ganglion cells consisted of large, pale stained
nuclei and darkly stained cytoplasm. Some ganglion cells were surrounded by satellite cells
(Fig. 6C). In the heart of a 21 D fetal rat, the cardiac ganglion consisted of large ganglion cells, small
supporting cells, unmyelinated nerve fibers and capillaries. Ganglion cells were usually
grouped into variable sized clusters (Fig. 7A) and were encapsulated by thin walls. The ganglion cells had single, large nuclei which appeared pale and round in profile. They were central or eccentric and possessed one or more densely stained nucleoli. The shapes of the
ganglion cells varied, from round to oval or polygonal (Fig. 7B). Some processes arose from the cell bodies. The cresyl violet stained ganglion cells showed numerous deeply stained
granules in their cytoplasm (Fig. 7C). Usually, a ganglion cell was intimately surrounded by darkly stained satellite cells.
3. Size Distribution of Cardiac Ganglion Cells:
Initially, cells obtained from different topographic groups of ganglion cells were compared
for size. Because no differences were found, the ganglion cells from different groups were
pooled and reported together.
The distribution frequency of the nuclear diameters of cardiac ganglion cells from fetal
rats in three different developmental stages is shown in Fig. 8. These distribution patterns
are unimodal. The nuclear diameters of ganglion cells in fetal rats ranged from 2.37 to
6.48 ƒÊm at D l5, 2.73 to 7.53 ƒÊm at D18, and 3.17 to 10.04 ƒÊm at D21. At D15, most
of the nuclear diameters were less than 5 ƒÊm. At D18, approximately 80% of the nuclear
16 Keh-Min Lw, et al.
Fig. 8. The distribution of nuclear diameters of cardiac ganglion cells in the rat heart in
three different prenatal stages.
Table 2. Diameter of cardiac ganglion neuronal nucleus and cell body, and ratio of nucleus/cell
body from fetal rats in different stages of development.
a N/C=area of nucleus (pmt)/area of cell body (tem2) , b D15 vs . D21, p<0.05. C D18 vs . D21, p<0.05.
diameters were between 4ƒÊm and 6ƒÊm. At D21, nuclear diameters larger than 5ƒÊm were
much more common.
As shown in the Table 2, the mean nuclear diameters of ganglion cells, were 4.28•}0.68ƒÊ
m at D15, 4.76•}0.66 ƒÊm at D18, and 6.05•}0.97 ƒÊm at D21. There was no significant
difference in the mean nuclear diameters of Dl 8 and D15. However, there was a 25-30%
increase in the mean nuclear diameter of ganglion cells at D21. This mean nuclear diameter
of D21 was significantly greater than that of D15 or D18 (P<0.05).
The frequency distributions of somal diameters of cardiac ganglion cells from fetal rats
at D15, Dl 8 and D21 are shown in the Fig. 9. These distribution patterns were unimodal.
The somal diameters of ganglion cells in fetal rats ranged from 3.17 to 8.17 ƒÊm at Dl 5,
3.38 to 9.86 ƒÊm at Dl 8, and 3.33 to 11.92 ƒÊm at D21. At D15 and D18, many neurons
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat 17
Fig. 9. The frequency distribution of diameters of cardiac ganglion cells in the rat heart in
three different prenatal stages.
were less than 7 ƒÊm in diameter, but at D21, the distribution pattern of somal diameters
skewed toward the large size.
The mean somal diameters of ganglion cells were 5.79•}0.86 ƒÊm at D15, 6.23•}0.85 ƒÊm
at D18, and 7.58•}1.33 ƒÊm at D21 (Table 2). There were no significant differences in the
mean diameters of cell bodies between D 15 and D 18, or Dl 8 and D21. However , it can be
clearly seen that the mean somal diameter increased greatly (about 33% between D15 and
D21).
To understand the developmental changes of the ratio of nuclei to cell bodies in the
prenatal stage, comparison of the nuclear area to the cell area of the cardiac ganglion cell bodies at D15, Dl 8 and D21 is shown in Fig. 10. All frequency distribution patterns were
unimodal and ranged from 30% to 80%. However, the ratio distribution of D21 rats
shifted toward higher percentage, i.e. in about 70% of the ganglion cells, the nucleus oc-
cupied 60-80% of the size of the cell.
The mean ratio, nucleus/cell body, of cardiac ganglion cells in fetal rats was 55.96% at D 15, 58.05% at Dl 8, and 62.32% at D2 1, as shown in Table 2. There was no dif-ference in the mean ratio of nucleus/cell body in cardiac ganglia between D15 and D18. By D21, the mean ratio of nucleus/cell body increased significantly when compared with
that of D15 or D18 (p<0.05).4. Numerical Distribution of Cardiac Ganglion Cells:
The numbers of cardiac ganglion cells in the different groups at three different develop-
mental stages are shown in Table 3. The number of ganglion cells (mean•}S.D.) was counted
according to the various groups described previously from 5 fetal rats at each stage, and
was corrected. As shown in Table 3, groups 4 and 5 were large, and consisted of many
18 Keh-Min Liu, et al.
Fig. 10. The frequency distribution of the ratio of nucleus/cell body of cardiac ganglion cells in the heart of fetal rat in three different prenatal stages.
Table 3. Comparison of the number of cardiac ganglion neurons in fetal rats in
three different stages of development.
a Each value represents the mean•}S .D. for 5 fetal rats.
b. C. d The correction factors for the crude counts of cardiac ganglion neurons in rats
at D15, D18 and D21 are 4.29, 4.76 and 6.05 respectively.
e D15 v .s. D18, p<0.001
f D15 vs . D21, p<0.001
large aggregates of cells (as many as 200 nucleoli in a section). Groups 1, 6, and 8 were
small groups, and were composed of scattered small clumps of cells. Groups 2, 3 and 7 were
counted only in Dl 5, Dl 8 and D21 fetal rats, respectively. In general, the number of car-
diac ganglion cells in each group increased with the growth of the fetal rats.The means of the total numbers of cardiac ganglion cells in the fetal rats were 1994 .33
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat 19
at D15, 5771.65 at Dl 8 and 6430.37 at D21. The total number of cardiac ganglion cells
at Dl 8 and D21 was significantly greater than that at D l 5, but there was no significant dif-
ference between Dl 8 and D21.
Discussion
The present investigation presents a picture of the distribution and morphological structure
of ganglion cells in the heart of the prenatal rat, and estimates their numbers in different areas. Our results, obtained from different projections of 15 separate specimens each in three developmental stages, yield a composite picture portraying the developing pattern of cardiac
ganglia in the rat.
In prenatal rats, 6-7 groups of various sizes of cardiac ganglia were observed around
the base and the posterior atrial wall of the heart, but were never seen below the coronary
sulcus or in the ventricle even at day 21 of gestation. There are reports of ganglion cells in
the ventricle of the chick embryo,16,1'' but the significance of this species difference is
obscure.
In fetal rats, the different aggregates of cardiac ganglion cells were usually distinctly
separated, but the groups of ganglion cells were occasionally clumped together. The topo-
graphy of the cardiac ganglion cells in prenatal rats is roughly similar to that in the kitten,10' but is somewhat different from that of the adult rat.1-3,6)
Group 1 cardiac ganglia, appearing on the 15th day of gestation, was close to the orifice
of the vena cava superior. This group may have functional connection with the sino-atrial
node.9)
Group 2 cardiac ganglia appeared on D15 and D18, and disappeared on D21. This
change in distribution may be due to the migration of ganglion cells, and elongation of the
ascending aorta and aortic arch. Group 3 cardiac ganglia were observed on D21, these
small cardiac ganglia may be formed from part of group 2. When compared with the
description by Pardini et al.,1) this group 3 cardiac ganglia in the prenatal rats may cor-
respond to the small rostral part of the group 2 cardiac ganglia of the adult rat. However,
according to a report by Tsubota, ' no cardiac ganglia were found around the aortic arch,
the peripheral region of aorta, or the bifurcated region of the trachea in adult rats. This
might be explained by the variation among animals of the same species, 7) or the continuous
growth and downward migration of cardiac ganglia in the postnatal stage.
Groups 4 and 5 were large cardiac ganglia. During the three developmental stages ex-
amined, the cardiac ganglion cells in the posterior wall of the right atrium (group 4) increased in number to a peak at D 18 and then declined, whereas those in the posterior wall of the left atrium (group 5) increased continuously. According to a report on adult rat cardiac
ganglia,l' the number of ganglion cells in the posterior wall of the left atrium is greater than that in the posterior wall of the right atrium. It appears that the numerical distribution
patterns of the cardiac ganglia are determined in the prenatal stage.Group 6 was a medium size cardiac ganglion located in the superior interatrial septum.
Pardini et dl.1) reported that the largest group of cardiac ganglia was observed in the superior
interatrial septum, but in their report, the boundary of the superior interatrial septum in-
cluded the posterior walls of both atria, and was not restricted in the narrow interatrial
septum only. In fact, the superior interatrial septum is a shallow furrow, sometimes called the
interatrial groove, and is formed by the enfolding of the interatrial wall during development.
20 Keh-Min Liu, et al.
At D21, some cardiac ganglion cells are found sandwiched between the myocardial tissue
of the two atria in the lower portion of the interatrial septum (group 7) . This group may have originated from the downward migration of the ganglion cells of group 6, and is very close to the atrioventricular node. 3,9) The group 7 cardiac ganglia is the only group that
was surrounded by cardiac muscle. A similar group of cardiac ganglia was also found in the
adult rat, but it was included with a group posterior to the right atrium .1)Group 8 cardiac ganglia consisted of several small ganglia , and was located close to the
lower margin of the posterior walls of both atria . However, there was an area surrounded by groups 4, 5, and 8 which was devoid of ganglion cells . During prenatal development, the number of cardiac ganglion cells in group 8 increased . After postnatal development, the
group 8 cardiac ganglia may become associated with group 4 or group 5, as described in the adult rat.1
The initial establishment of autonomic innervation of the embryonic heart was first re-
ported by Hoar and Hall.13~ In their report, the cardiac ganglion cell was described only
as a "large round cell". In the present study, the mean diameter of the cardiac ganglionic
cell body in D15 to D21 ranged from 5.79 to 7 .58ƒÊm, and had a unimodal pattern of
distribution. Previous studies showed that in the submandibular ganglia of mouse and rat,
there were two subpopulations of neurons that differed in size and target organs .18) Similarly,
in the ciliary ganglia of chicken, the large ciliary cells (30-50 ƒÊm in diameter) and small
choroid cells (15-20 ƒÊm in diameter) occurred in equal numbers .19 From the present study,
in the three different developmental stages, the unimodal distribution of the size of cell
bodies and nuclei shows that no subpopulation of neurons can be identified in the prenatal
stage by light microscope.
The mean diameter of cardiac ganglion cells of prenatal rats was 7 .58 ƒÊm at D21, but
those of one-day-old and adult rats were 12-15 ƒÊm20 and 26.9 ƒÊm,1 respectively . From
these data, it is clear that the cells of cardiac ganglia of the rat grow continuously after birth .
Neuronal death may be a regulatory mechanism in the control of cell numbers in the
nervous system. Many neurons in the peripheral ganglia die during normal ontogeny .21) It was reported that the parasympathetic ciliary ganglion of the chicken , which initially con-sisted of about 6,000 neurons, diminished to about half between the 8th and 14th day of
incubation.22) In the present study, cell numbers in the cardiac ganglia increased dramati-
cally from Dl 5 to D21. It must thus be considered that if natural cell death also occurred
in the cardiac ganglia, it must have happened before D15. Rickenbacher and Mi ller16 re-
ported that the cardiac ganglia of the chick embryo growth in the number and size of cells continued until D15. Whether or not natural death of neurons occurs in the cardiac ganglia
of the prenatal rat should be investigated further.
Relations between the preganglionic origin and the cell number of the cardiac ganglia in
the prenatal rat should be considered simultaneously. During the prenatal period of the rat , vagal innervation is very important in the functional development of the heart.23) It has been reported that cell death in the dorsal motor nucleus (DMN), the site of origin of cardiac
vagal preganglionic motoneurons (CVPM), occurred between incubation day 8 and hatching , and resulted normally in a 37% loss of neurons. The peak loss of neurons occurred between
incubation days 8-12.24) However, there is recent anatomical and electrophysiological evi-dence that the nucleus ambiguus and the ventrolateral nucleus ambiguus are also primary
sites of origin of CVPM.25~ The continuous increase in the number of cardiac ganglionic
Cardiac Ganglia in Prenatal Rat 21
cells indicates that there is no direct relation between preganglionic origin and the number
of postganglionic neurons of cardiac ganglia.
It was reported by Wright26) that neuronal death began after cessation of proliferation and migration, and coincided with the time of anatomical and functional innervation of the synaptic target. In the rat, the first appearance of ACNE in cardiac ganglia is at day 4
postnatal.25) In the present investigation, the number of cells in the cardiac ganglia of the
prenatal rat at D21 was 6430, and that in the adult rat was approximately 3980.1) The 38% decrease of cells in the cardiac ganglia occurred after birth and may have coincided with the appearance of AChE. This result is in accordance with the observation of Purves and Lichtman22) that a substantial portion (25-75%) of the original neuronal population
dies in neonatal life. For example, during early postnatal life, a 30% decrease in the number
of cells in the superior cervical uanulia occurred.
Kirby et al.2 7' described that neural crest cells contributing to the cardiac ganglia mi-
grated in association with the preganglionic nerve, i.e., the cardiac branches of the vagus. In the rat, the parasympathetic fibers began to penetrate the atria around D14-15,28) al-
though, the first appearance of ACNE in the cardiac ganglia was at day 4 postnatal, and
nerve fibers containing AChE could be identified in the sino-atrial node at day 15 postnatal.25)
The dramatic increase in the number and size of cardiac ganglion cells in prenatal rats, plus
the postnatal data previously described21) indicate that parasympathetic innervation in the
prenatal rat myocardium was very immature, but it develops and grows rapidly during early
postnatal life. This suggestion is supported by the report of Finlay and Anderson29) that histological maturation of the cardiac ganglia occurred during the 4 days subsequent to the
appearance of ACNE 1n the ganglionic cells, whereas, even at 31 days, ACNE-positive
innervation of the heart had not yet reached the adult level.
Acknowledgement
The authors express their grateful appreciation to Prof. E. A. Ling, and Prof. W. C. Wong, for en-
couragement; and Mr. W. J. Liang and Ms. S. C. Wu, for skillful technical assistance.
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Abbreviations
AA: ascending aorta, AAH: aortic arch, DA: descending aorta , DU: ductus arteriosus, E: esophagus, F: foramen ovale, JVC: inferior vena cava , LA: left atrium, LAU: left auricle, LB: left bronchus, LIPV: left inferior pulmonary vein , LPA: left pulmonary artery, LV: left ventricle, LVN: left vagus nerve, LSVC: left superior vena cava , PT: pulmonary trunk, RA: right atrium, RAU: right auricle, RB: right bronchus , RIPV: right inferior pulmonary vein, RPA: right pulmonary artery, RSPV: right superior pulmonary vein, RSVC: right superior vena cava, RV: right ventricle, RVN: right vagus nerve , T: trachea.
[Received July 12, 1989: Accepted October 20, 1989]