Intrinsic Cardiac Ganglia of Goat

Abstract

Intrinsic cardiac nervous system plays important role in regulating heart functions both in normal and denervated heart as in case of heart transplant patients. Therefore, the distribution and detailed study of intrinsic cardiac ganglion assumes significance. The present study was conducted on five hearts of goal obtained within one hour of sacrifice of the animals. Light microscopic observations were made on formalin-fixed. 10 thick paraffin sections stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin and Silver stain. Cardiac ganglia were primarily located in the epicardial fat near the junction of superior vena cava and right atrium as circumscribed structures. Occasionally they were seen in the form of ganglionated nerve plexus. Occurrence of intramural ganglia was rather uncommon. In sections, ganglia appeared in variable shapes from being circular, oval, reniform, club-shaped or irregular. Quite often they were associated with a robust bundle of autonomic nerves, which split to invade and surround the ganglion. Most of the nerve cells in the ganglia presented features of large multipolar neurons and were surrounded by capsular cells. The number of neurons per ganglion varied from three to forty-five. Interestingly, the general arrangement of intrinsic cardiac ganglia in goat resembled more closely to the human heart than many other animals and therefore requires further investigation.