title: Distributional pattern and targets of GABA-containing neurons in the porcine small and large intestine.
abstract: In the rat and guinea-pig enteric nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been shown to act as a neurotransmitter in interneurons innervating both excitatory and inhibitory motor neurons, thus modulating peristalsis and acid secretion. The present study reports on the distribution of GABA-containing neurons in the porcine intestine by the use of immunocytochemistry. Duodenal, jejunal, ileal and distal colonic segments were exposed in vitro to exogenous GABA (10(-8) M) prior to fixation and immunocytochemical staining to supplement endogenous stores of GABA. In contrast to the guinea-pig intestine, where GABA-immunoreactive (IR) nerve cell bodies were common in myenteric ganglia but very rare in the submucosa, in the pig intestine the nerve cell bodies expressing GABA-immunoreactivity were found predominantly in the ganglia and nerve strands of the inner submucous plexus, while a small number were also found in the myenteric plexus. Most of the neurons were small-sized and had a multidendritic uniaxonal appearance. Their varicose axonal processes protruded within the same ganglion to other nerve cells, including GABA-IR ones, or ran into connecting nerve strands towards neighbouring ganglia. Some of the bigger GABA-IR neurons in the myenteric plexus, however, displayed either a lamellar multidendritic uniaxonal or a bipolar appearance. The density of GABA-IR neurons in the inner submucous plexus varied from duodenum to colon, being highest in ileum and lowest in duodenum. Double-immunolabelling of GABA with substance P revealed that approximately 40% of the GABA-IR neurons in the inner submucous plexus of the ileum also stained for substance P. Our results suggest that in the porcine enteric nervous system, GABA-containing neurons are primarily involved in the modulation of secretory processes rather than in the modulation of peristalsis.
authors.affiliation: Lab. Cell Biology and Histology, Univ. Antwerp (RUCA), Belgium. jptimmer@ruca.ua.ac.be
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Timmermans
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Scheuermann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002452:Cell Count; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism; D003712:Dendrites / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004386:Duodenum / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D005629:Frozen Sections; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism; D007583:Jejunum / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000737:chemistry; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000032:analysis; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000032:analysis; D009928:Organ Specificity; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D013368:Submucous Plexus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis; D013552:Swine; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D013373:Substance P; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase