TY - JOUR
T1 - Selective gastric projections of nitric oxide synthase-containing vagal brainstem neurons
AU - Zheng, Z. L.
AU - Rogers, R. C.
AU - Travagli, R. A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Dr Kirsteen N. Browning for editorial assistance and critical evaluation of the manuscript. This study was supported by a WVU-School of Medicine Research Grant to R. Alberto Travagli.
Copyright:
Copyright 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1999/2/22
Y1 - 1999/2/22
N2 - Nitric oxide has been proposed to act as an intercellular messenger in central brainstem circuits controlling gastrointestinal motility. In particular, a subpopulation of preganglionic vagal neurons of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus have been shown to be reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)-diaphorase positive; NADPH-diaphorase positive preganglionic fibers are also known to make contact with enteric neurons in the stomach. No studies, however, have correlated the neurochemical phenotype of preganglionic vagal neurons to their stomach target. The purpose of this study was to identify the subpopulation of nitric oxide synthase positive vagal neurons projecting to the stomach. Fluorescent retrograde tracers were injected in the fundus, corpus or antrum (Rhodamine beads) or painted on the anterior gastric branch of the vagus (DiI); five to 15 days later the brainstem was processed for nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. Of the 532 DiI-labeled neurons from the vagal anterior gastric branch, 25 (4.7%, n = 5 rats) were co-localized with nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. Of the neurons labeled following injection of rhodamine beads in the antrum (N = 231 neurons, n = 5 rats) or corpus (N = 166 neurons, n = 4 rats) only three neurons showed nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity (two in antrum and one in corpus, respectively). Conversely, 26 of 222 neurons (12%, n = 7 rats) labeled following injection of rhodamine in the fundus showed nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. These results provide evidence for a discrete phenotypic subpopulation of vagal motoneurons that project to the gastric fundus, and suggest that these neurons may be the ones involved in the receptive relaxation reflex.
AB - Nitric oxide has been proposed to act as an intercellular messenger in central brainstem circuits controlling gastrointestinal motility. In particular, a subpopulation of preganglionic vagal neurons of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus have been shown to be reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)-diaphorase positive; NADPH-diaphorase positive preganglionic fibers are also known to make contact with enteric neurons in the stomach. No studies, however, have correlated the neurochemical phenotype of preganglionic vagal neurons to their stomach target. The purpose of this study was to identify the subpopulation of nitric oxide synthase positive vagal neurons projecting to the stomach. Fluorescent retrograde tracers were injected in the fundus, corpus or antrum (Rhodamine beads) or painted on the anterior gastric branch of the vagus (DiI); five to 15 days later the brainstem was processed for nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. Of the 532 DiI-labeled neurons from the vagal anterior gastric branch, 25 (4.7%, n = 5 rats) were co-localized with nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. Of the neurons labeled following injection of rhodamine beads in the antrum (N = 231 neurons, n = 5 rats) or corpus (N = 166 neurons, n = 4 rats) only three neurons showed nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity (two in antrum and one in corpus, respectively). Conversely, 26 of 222 neurons (12%, n = 7 rats) labeled following injection of rhodamine in the fundus showed nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. These results provide evidence for a discrete phenotypic subpopulation of vagal motoneurons that project to the gastric fundus, and suggest that these neurons may be the ones involved in the receptive relaxation reflex.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0306-4522(98)00586-7
DO - 10.1016/S0306-4522(98)00586-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 10215170
AN - SCOPUS:0032935443
SN - 0306-4522
VL - 90
SP - 685
EP - 694
JO - Neuroscience
JF - Neuroscience
IS - 2
ER -