Serotonergic and peptidergic projections to the spinal cord demonstrated by a combined retrograde HRP histochemical and immunocytochemical staining method.
A simple technique is described for simultaneously visualizing the cells of origin of descending brain stem-spinal systems and immunocytochemically defined neurotransmitters. The combination of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) histochemistry, enhanced by the use of CoCl2, with the unlabeled antibody, peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) immunocytochemical staining method, revealed double labeled cells containing black punctate HRP granules within a homogeneous brown cytoplasm stained positively for serotonin (5-HT), substance P or enkephalin-like immunoreactivity. The advantages of this method over other double labeling techniques are discussed.
D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D004723:Endorphins / Q000032:analysis*; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000032:analysis*; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000032:analysis*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*
D004723:Endorphins; D004745:Enkephalins; D012701:Serotonin; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase