Comparison of HRP-labeled Neurons in Living and Dead Mice with Light and Electron Microscopy / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Crystal HRP was applied to the cut ends of the left infraorbital nerve and branches of the facial nerve of 34 adult mice. Then the animals were killed and perfused, and HRP solution was applied to the cut ends of the root of the right facial nerve and the right maxillary nerve. Frozen sections of the brain stem and the trigerminal ganglia were made and reacted with BDHC, TMB or DAB method for light and electrom microscopic examination.Under light microscopy, the neurons labeled when alive in the left trigerminal ganglion and the nucleus of the left facial nerve showed that more cell bodise but less nerve fibers were labeled. The reaction products with all the 3 methods in thess cells were granular. The neurons labeled after death in the right trigerminal ganglion and the nucleus of the right facial nerve showed that more fibers but less cell bodies were labeled. The reaction products in these cells were also granular with BDHC and TMB methods but diffuse with DAB method.Under electron microscopy, there were electron-dense positive products in all the cells labeled either when alive or after death. In those cells labeled when alive, the products were found in the round or oval secondary lysosomes or multive-sicular bodies, while in those labeled after death, they were mostly found on one side of vacuoles without membrane boundary. In the fibers labeled after death, many large or small positive granules were found in the axons and many minute positive granules in the myelin lamellae especially on their inner surface in contact with the axons.