Objective    To explore the effects of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor and different substrates on cell survival and neurite growth of superior cervical ganglion sympathetic neurons from neonatal rat in vitro.     Methods    Sympathetic neurons from superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of neonatal rat respectively were dissociated and cultured. The glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) of different quantities were added in the medium

and culture cover slips were coated by variant methods with poly-D-lysine (PDL). The cell survival and neurite growth of cultured sympathetic neurons were observed by phase-contrast microscopy.     Results    In the group of cover glasses coated with PDL dissolved by 0.01 mol/L boric acid solution

cells grew dispersedly well

and both the cell survival and neurite growth were better than others. GDNF promoted the cell survival and neurite growth of sympathetic neurons markedly

  and there was a dose-effect relationship

but it could not abolish the decrease of survival cells from 1 d to 5 d in vitro.     Conclusion    It is a favorable substrate that coated with PDL dissolved 0.01 mol/L by boric acid solution

and both the cell survival and neurite growth of sympathetic neurons can be improved by GDNF in vitro.