Somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons of the rat gut during the development.

Somatostatin (SST) is a peptide expressed in the peripheral and central nervous systems, as well as in endocrine and immune cells. The aim of the current study is to determine the percentage of SST immunoreactive (IR) neurons and their colocalization with choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the myenteric plexus (MP) and submucous plexus (SP) of the small intestine (SI) and large intestine (LI) of rats across different age groups from newborn to senescence using immunohistochemistry. In the MP of the SI and LI, the percentage of SST-IR neurons significantly increased during early postnatal development from 12 ± 2.

Sympathetic innervation of the development, maturity, and aging of the gastrointestinal tract.

The sympathetic nervous system inhibits gut motility, secretion, and blood flow in the gut microvasculature and can modulate gastrointestinal inflammation. Sympathetic neurons signal via catecholamines, neuropeptides, and gas mediators. In the current review, we summarize the current understanding of the mature sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract with a focus mainly on the prevertebral sympathetic ganglia as the main output to the gut.

Postnatal development of the enteric neurons expressing neuronal nitric oxide synthase.

Neurons, expressing neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the enteric ganglia are inhibitory motor neurons or interneurons. The aim of the study was to identify the percentage, cross-sectional area of nNOS-immunoreactive (IR) neurons and their colocalization with choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and neuropeptide Y in the intramural ganglia of the myenteric (MP) and submucous plexus (SP) of the small intestine (SI) and large intestine (LI) of rats of different age groups using immunohistochemical methods. In the intramural ganglia of the MP, the largest percentage of nNOS-IR neurons was detected in newborn rats in the LI (81 ± 0.

Age related changes of neuropeptide Y-ergic system in the rat duodenum.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is widely distributed in the autonomic nervous system and acts as a neurotransmitter and a trophic factor. However, there is no report concerning the expression of NPY and its receptors in the intestine during postnatal ontogenesis. In the current study, immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis was used to label NPY, Y1R, Y2R and Y5R receptors in the duodenum from rats of different ages (1-, 10-, 20-, 30-, 60-day-old and 2-year-old).

Development of Calbindin- and Calretinin-Immunopositive Neurons in the Enteric Ganglia of Rats.

Calbindin D28 K (CB) and calretinin (CR) are the members of the EF-hand family of calcium-binding proteins that are expressed in neurons and nerve fibers of the enteric nervous system. CB and CR are expressed differentially in neuronal subpopulations throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems and their expression has been used to selectively target specific cell types and isolate neuronal networks. The present study presents an immunohistochemical analysis of CB and CR in the enteric ganglia of small intestine in rats of different ages (newborn, 10-day-old, 20-day-old, 30-day-old, 60-day-old, 1-year-old, and 2-year-old).