title: Catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes and neuropeptides in rat heart epicardial ganglia; an immunohistochemical study.
abstract: The subepicardial atrial ganglia of rat hearts were examined using immunohistochemical techniques and antibodies against the catecholamine-synthetic enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), and the neuropeptides substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and met-5-enkephalin (ENK). Some of the ganglion cells present in the ganglia exhibited DBH-like immunoreactivity (LI) and NPY-LI, whilst these cells never exhibited TH-, VIP-, CGRP-, SP- or ENK-LI. Groups of small cells exhibiting an intense TH-LI, corresponding to cells referred to as catecholamine-containing cells and sometimes small intensely fluorescent cells in the literature, were observed in the ganglia. A subpopulation of these cells exhibited immunoreactivity to one of the neuropeptides tested, namelyu SP. Only a few of the cells showing TH-LI displayed DBH-LI. Nerve fibres showing SP-, CGRP-, DBH- and TH-LI were present in the ganglia; some of these fibres being closely associated with the ganglion cells or with the cells showing TH-LI. The observation provide new information on the catecholamine-synthetic enzyme/neuropeptide expression of the ganglion and catecholamine-containing cells and of the associated nerve fibres of rat heart subepicardial ganglia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forsgren
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moravec
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moravec
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D004299:Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005724:Ganglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000378:metabolism; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013373:Substance P / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D013373:Substance P; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004299:Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide