Quantitative analysis of enteric neurons containing choline acetyltransferase and nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivities in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the porcine colon.

ABSTRACT: The enteric nervous system (ENS) controls gastrointestinal functions. In large mammals' intestine, it comprises an inner (ISP) and outer (OSP) submucous plexus and a myenteric plexus (MP). This study quantifies enteric neurons in the ISP, OSP, and MP of the pig ascending (AC) and descending colon (DC) using the HuC/D, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) neuronal markers in whole mount preparations with multiple labeling immunofluorescence. We established that the ISP contains the highest number of HuC/D neurons/mm², which were more abundant in AC vs. DC, followed by OSP and MP with similar density in AC and DC. In the ISP, the density of ChAT immunoreactive (IR) neurons was very similar in AC and DC (31% and 35%), nNOS-IR neurons were less

SUBMITTER: Mazzoni M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8059758 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature