Freshly dissected 17-19 days embryonic superior cervical ganglia are confronted with 0.5 mm diameter heart fragments of the same Wistar rat. Incubation in vitro at 37 degrees C of confronting heart-ganglion pairs is carried out in Dulbecco's medium on a gyratory shaker. Fixation and staining followed after 2 hr, 1, 3 and 6 days of incubation. Histological analysis with light and electron microscopy revealed the interaction between the sympathetic ganglion and its target organ. Ingrowth of axons rich in neurofilaments and neurotubules and containing light and dense core vesicles, is observed.
Animals Axons