E. Deridder et A. Weyns, CLASSIFICATION OF THE ENTERIC NERVE-CELLS OF THE PORCINE SMALL-INTESTINE INTO 2 SUBPOPULATIONS USING ENZYME-HISTOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES, Microscopy research and technique, 29(2), 1994, pp. 103-111
Using acetylcholinesterase (AChE), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide d
iaphorase (NADHd), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate dia
phorase (NADPHd) enzyme histochemical techniques, the ganglionated ple
xuses of the porcine enteric nervous system were investigated in small
intestine whole-mount preparations. Both AchE and NADHd techniques re
vealed a majority of the neurons in the ganglia of all three major ple
xuses. The AchE technique also demonstrated clearly the axodendritic n
etworks of the plexus myentericus. Intraganglionic blank areas reveale
d the localization of negative cell groups. A very high correlation wa
s found between the activity of both enzymes in one neuron, although t
his correlation was certainly not linear. Many neurons exhibited a str
onger signal for one enzyme. A very small part of the positive nerve c
ells showed intense staining for both AchE and NADHd. The NADPHd techn
ique demonstrated that the NADPHd-positive neurons fill the negative i
ntraganglionic spaces in the ganglia. Double staining with the two oth
er enzymes showed virtually no colocalization of NADPHd with either NA
DHd or AchE in the porcine jejunal enteric ganglia. Little negative in
traganglionic spaces were seldom found, leaving room for perhaps still
more negative enteric neurons. Based upon these results we suggest th
at the enteric neurons of the porcine small intestine can be subdivide
d into AchE-NADHd and NADPHd subpopulations. Since the latter colocali
zes with the neuronal NO synthase enzyme, we further suggest a subdivi
sion of the enteric nerve cells into AchE-NADHd and NOS-NADHd neurons.
(C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.