Methionine-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8-immunoreactive nerve fibers and cell bodies in lumbar paravertebral ganglia and the celiac-superior mesenteric ganglion complex of the rat: an immunohistochemical study.
Lumbar paravertebral ganglia and prevertebral ganglia of the rat were immunohistochemically examined using an antiserum against Methionine-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 (Met-Enk-Arg-Gly-Leu). Colchicine (5 mg/kg body wt., i.p. injection) was employed as an axonal transport blocker to intensify the immunoreactivity in the nerve cell bodies. In the lumbar paravertebral ganglia of the colchicine-treated rats, about 55% of nerve cell bodies showed a positive immunoreactivity. In the celiac-superior mesenteric ganglion complex, a dense network of positively immunostained nerve fiber varicosities surrounded immunonegative nerve cell bodies. The Met-Enk-Arg-Gly-Leu-like immunoreactivity demonstrated in this study suggests the occurrence of preproenkephalin A and related opioid peptides.
D000818:Animals; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000378:metabolism*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; C033453:enkephalin-Met, Arg(6)-Gly(7)-Leu(8)-; D003078:Colchicine