Bartness TJ, Demas GE (2001) A novel method for localized sympathetic nervous system denervation of peripheral tissue using guanethidine. Neuroscience 2001 Abstracts 309.10. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.
Summary: A simple technique for the functional deactivation of the sympathetic nervous system innervation of peripheral tissues is described using the local application of guanethidine. Multiple unilateral microinjections of guanethidine were made into one inguinal or epididymal white adipose tissue (IWAT and EWAT) pads of hamsters, whereas the contralateral pad received equivolumetric saline vehicle injections. Guanethidine treatment virtually abolished the sympathetic innervation of both EWAT and IWAT, as measured by the absence of significant norepinephrine (NE) tissue content two weeks later and as suggested by the two-fold increase in IWAT mass characteristic of surgically induced WAT denervation. IWAT and EWAT NE content and mass were unaffected in the contralateral control pads. Guanethidine injections into the spleen also lead to a function sympathectomy as indicated by significant depletions of NE content. Because guanethidine treatment did not decrease body mass nor induce ptosis, no chemical-induced malaise or global sympathetic denervation, respectively, was suggested. We compared the effects of local guanethidine treatment on IWAT NE content and pad mass with the local application of the sympathetic neurotoxin, anti-dopamine beta hydroxylase saporin, and with local surgical IWAT denervation. Guanethidine treatment significantly reduced IWAT NE content to a greater degree than for the alternative sympathectomy methods. These results suggest that locally applied, chemical sympathectomy with guanethidine provides an effective, restricted method for denervating WAT and likely other peripheral tissues.
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