Histochemistry of esterases of the motor end‐plates and the lumbar motoneurons of the cat after sciatic neurectomy followed by primary and secondary anastomosis

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Abstract
Cats were subjected to sciatic neurec-tomy and primary and secondary nerve repair. Animals were perfused with phosphate-buffered formalin. Blocks from muscles and lumbar spinal cord were transferred in gum sucrose. Twenty-four hours later the following enzymes were studied: acetylcholinesterase, nonspecific cholinesterase, and nonspecific esterases. Important enzymic changes were present in the cat muscle and spinal cord as compared with the control sides. Acetylcholinesterase in the denerva-ted muscle showed decrease at 15 to 60 days. In 90 days very slight regenerative activity was observed in the motor end-plates and in the spinal cord. Nonspecific cholinesterase was strikingly decreased in 15 and 30 days in motor end-plates and spinal cord. In 60 days it began to increase, and at 90 days it was more intense than acetyl-cholinesterase. Thiolacetic acid showed complete loss of enzyme in 90 days in motor end-plates. Spinal cord showed very slight increase activity on the operated side at 60 days. The most striking finding was the complete regeneration of [alpha]-naphthyl acetate activity in motor end-plates in 90 days. The animals which had primary nerve repair always showed less decrease of enzymic activity in the motor end-plates and in the spinal cord. The regenerative process was almost complete in 90 days. In the animals which had secondary nerve repair group in all survival periods. These studies suggest that certain enzymic activity reflects the state of degeneration or regeneration of peripheral nerve after interruption.