Nitric oxide producing neurons in the human colon: an immunohistochemical and histoenzymatical study.
The nitric oxide producing neurons of the human colonic myenteric plexus have been studied by using antibodies against cerebellar NO synthase type I (NOS-IR) and NADPH-diaphorase (NAPDH-d) histoenzymatic reaction. The majority of the stained neurons were both NOS-IR and NADPH-d-positive, while a few others were either NADPH-d-positive or NOS-IR only. Among the co-stained neurons, four subpopulations sharing various degrees of staining intensities have been identified. These findings indicate that in the human colon a one-to-one correlation between NOS-IR and NADPH-d positivity does not exist and thus the NADPH-d reaction does not delineate with certainty all NO-producing neurons. The degree of staining intensity might account for different intracellular amounts of these two enzymes.
Matini
P
P
Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Italy.
Manneschi
L I
LI
Mayer
B
B
Faussone-Pellegrini
M S
MS
D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D003106:Colon / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D000906:Antibodies; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009249:NADP