Simple and reproducible approaches for the collection of select porcine ganglia.

BACKGROUND: The anatomy and physiology of the pig nervous system is more similar to humans compared to traditional rodent models. This makes the pig an attractive model to answer questions relating to human health and disease. Yet the technical and molecular tools available to pig researchers are limited compared to rodent researchers.

NEW METHOD: We developed simple and rapid methods to isolate the trigeminal, nodose (distal vagal), and dorsal root ganglia from neonatal pigs. We selected these ganglia due to their broad applicability to basic science researchers and clinicians.

RESULTS: Use of these methods resulted in reproducible isolation of all three types of ganglia as validated by histological examination.

COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): There are currently no methods that describe a step-by-step protocol to isolate these porcine ganglia.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, these methods for ganglia collection will facilitate and accelerate future neuroscience investigations in pig models of human disease.