COLOCALIZATION OF NADPH-DIAPHORASE WITH NEUROPEPTIDES IN THE URETEROVESICAL GANGLIA OF HUMANS

Neurones in the ureterovesical ganglion complex provide autonomic inne rvation to the pelvic ureter, the ureterovesical junction and the blad der trigone. We examined the distribution and peptide co-expression pa ttern of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the human ureterovesical gangl ia by combining NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry with immunoreactivity for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and cal citonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Less than 20% of nerve cells in t he large ganglia of the ureterovesical complex were stained for NOS ac tivity. In elderly individuals, ganglion cells regularly exhibited con spicuous morphological alterations suggestive of degenerative changes. Most of the NOS-positive cell bodies costained for VIP-immunoreactivi ty. A minority of NOS-expressing cells also reacted for NPY-immunoreac tivity. CGRP-immunoreactivity was present in varicose terminal-like ne rve fibres which were found to encircle NOS-containing perikarya. Occa sionally, NOS-positive somata were surrounded by plexiform axon termin als which immunostained for VIP or NPY. We conclude that the passage o f urine across the ureterovesical junction is under relaxatory control of a local nitric oxide/VIP(NPY) pathway which may be modulated by pr eganglionic efferent and/or primary afferent input.