D. Bagnol et al., CHANGES IN ENKEPHALIN IMMUNOREACTIVITY OF SYMPATHETIC-GANGLIA AND DIGESTIVE-TRACT OF THE CAT AFTER SPLANCHNIC NERVE LIGATION, Regulatory peptides, 47(3), 1993, pp. 259-273
The aim of the present study was to analyze changes in the enkephalin
immunoreactivity of sympathetic prevertebral ganglia coeliac plexus an
d inferior mesenteric ganglion) and intestinal tract (myenteric plexus
and external muscle layers) in cats 2 days after left thoracic splanc
hnic nerve ligation, using radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemical te
chniques. Specific polyclonal antibodies directed against methionine-
and leucine-enkephalin were used. The nerve ligation led to a consider
able increase in the enkephalin immunoreactivity in the cranial part o
f the ligated nerves. This finding confirms the presence, in the cat,
of an enkephalin output originating from thoracic spinal structures wh
ich are probably enkephalin-containing preganglionic neurons. In preve
rtebral ganglia the nerve ligation induced a marked decrease in the en
kephalin immunoreactivity, which was probably due to the interruption
of thoracic enkephalin efferents projecting towards both the coeliac p
lexus and the inferior mesenteric ganglion. In the digestive tract, th
e nerve ligation depressed the methionine-enkephalin immunoreactivity
only in the gastro-duodenal region, and had no effect on the ileo-colo
nic region. The results of the present study add to the growing eviden
ce that the sympathetic nervous system is involved in regulating the e
nteric enkephalinergic innervation, which is probably involved in cont
rolling the intestinal motility.