Summarychemical sympathectomy on myocardial cell division in the newborn rat. Myocardial chemical sympathectomy was achieved by daily SC injection of 100 pg/g body weight of dOHdopamine to each of 239 Holtzman newborn rat pups for the first seven days of life.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Effective sympathectomy was verified by identifying a decrease inChemical sympathectomy was accomplished by the administraventricular myocardial norepinephrine concentrations to 31% 2 12 tion of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHD) to newborn rat pups. The S.E. of control at 20 days of age. Activity of DNA polymerase was activity of DNA polymerase in the ventricular homogenate was used to indicate the extent of myocardial cell division.used to indicate the extent of ventricular myocardial cell division. Beginning at eight days of age, DNA polymerase activity was increased in the sympathectomized pups relative to control. The CHEMICAL SYMPATHECTOMY TECHNIQUE DNA polymerase activity was highest relative to control at 16 days (235% 2 31 S.E.) and remained elevated beyond 20 days A 481 HO1tzman W1) newborn rat pups were (188% + 30 of control). The DNA polymerase data was analyzed used in lhe There were 242 pups and 239 by covariance and was significantly greater in the 6-OHdopamine PUPS. A group four Or six pregnant rats was received every rat pups (P < 0.001).other wk. Each group of litters had nearly the same birth date (within 24 hr), and the sizes of the litters were equalized by Speculation transferring pups from large to small litters. The litters from onehalf of each group were used for control, and the other one-half Myocardial cell division continues for 10 to 14 days after birth was used for the daily SC administration of 6-OHD (Sigma in the newborn animal of several species, and the cell division then Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO). For example, if one group consisted ceases by an unknown mechanism. Our findings are consistent of four litters, each pup from two litters was given an injection of with the hypothesis that this postnatal decrease in myocardial cell 0.1 ml of 0.001 N NaC1, and each pup from the other two litters division is related to the development of cardiac sympathetic nerve was given an injection at the same time with 0.1 ml of 6-OHD ingrowth. Because nerve ingrowth was inhibited after 6-OHdo-(100 yg/g body weight of 6-OHD dissolved in 0.001 N NaCI). pamine and increased myocardial cell division occurred, it appears Because of the rapid deactivation of dissolved 6-OHD, it was that sympathetic ingrowth indeed may play a key role in affecting administered to the pups within 5 min after dissolving. Injection myocardial cell division in the newborn animal.was made into the loose skin of the nape within 24 hr after birth and repeated once daily for 7 days. These techniques were repeated for each of 22 groups of litters. The regulation of cardiac muscle cell division remains a complexIn both the control and experimental groups of rats, DNA problem (1,6,10,16,20,(24)(25)(26). Studies in the rat have shown polymerase and ventricula...