title: Intrinsic innervation of the horse ileum.
abstract: This paper describes the morphology and distribution of the enteric nervous system (ENS) cells and fibres immunoreactive for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), NF200kDa (NF200), and S100 protein. The percentages of subclasses of enteric neurons in the total neuronal population were investigated by the use of anti-PGP 9.5 or anti-NSE antibodies. ChAT-IR myenteric plexus (MP) and submucosal plexus (SMP) neurons were 66+/-7% and 74+/-15%, respectively, whereas those cells expressing nNOS-IR were 38+/-7% and 5+/-1%, respectively. MP and SMP neurons expressing both phenotypes were also present. SP-IR was expressed by 14+/-13% of MP and 66+/-8% of SMP neurons whereas CGRP-IR was observed only in the SMP (43+/-6%). NF200-IR was expressed by 61+/-15% and 91+/-10% of the MP and SMP neurons, respectively. The majority of the CGRP-IR SMP neurons expressed also SP-IR. Almost all SP-IR neurons in both the plexuses were cholinergic. The present study quantifies the main neuronal subpopulations of the ENS of the horse ileum; these data might be utilized to understand the neuronal modifications which occur in several gastrointestinal tract disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Morphophysiology and Animal Productions, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, Italy. roberto.chiocchetti@unibo.it
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chiocchetti
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bombardi
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mongardi-Fantaguzzi
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Venturelli
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spadari
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montoneri
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romagnoli
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grandis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D007082:Ileum / Q000294:innervation*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000294:innervation; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I