Fig. 1

Hematoxylin-Eosin staining. The column to the left shows the trigeminal ganglion in a fresh rat. The neurons were firmly enveloped by the SGC (arrows), demonstrating the close interaction between the neurons and glial cells. In comparison to a neuron, which contained a large pale nucleus and a visible nucleolus, the SGCs displayed a slender, slightly condensed nucleus. In the specimens that underwent incubation during 24 hrs, a similar morphology between the three groups was found: neurons with both condensed cytoplasm and nuclei, and enlarged rounded SGCs with highly condensed nuclei (arrows). In groups incubated with U0126 or BoNT-A, the neurons were often found in a vacuole indicating SGC detachment