IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY OF MARKERS OF THE ENTERIC NERVOUS-SYSTEM IN WHOLE-MOUNT PREPARATIONS OF THE HUMAN COLON

In this study we tested the immunohistochemical reactions of various m arkers for the enteric nervous system in whole-mount preparations of t he human colon. For that purpose we used polyclonal antibodies against the neuronal markers - protein gene product 9.5 (PGP), neuron-specifi c enolase (NSE), neurofilament protein 200 (NFP), microtubule-associat ed proteins (MAPs); and the glial markers - S-100 protein and glial fi brillary acidic protein (GFAP) for the immunoperoxidase reaction. Whol e-mount preparations are more suitable for histopathological evaluatio n and interpretation than sections, because the enteric nervous system consists of three-dimensional plexuses lying within the layers of the intestinal wall. Sections show only a part of the plexuses, neurons a nd glial cells. On the other hand, whole-mount preparations reveal the morphology of the plexuses as a whole. Among the neuronal and glial m arkers used, S-100 protein, the neurofilament protein, and the protein gene product 9.5 (PGP) produced the best results. Furthermore, this d eveloping method provides new possibilities for the histopathological analysis of defects in the enteric nervous system, such as neuronal in testinal dysplasia (NID).