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Basic fibroblast growth factor, neurofilament, and glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivities in the myenteric plexus of the rat esophagus and colon
Author(s) -
Chadi Gerson,
Gomide Vânia Canterucci,
Rodrigues de Souza Romeu,
Scabello Rodrigo Torres,
Maurício da Silva César
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.10252
Subject(s) - enteric nervous system , glial fibrillary acidic protein , biology , myenteric plexus , basic fibroblast growth factor , submucous plexus , neurofilament , pathology , peripherin , immunohistochemistry , plexus , neuroglia , anatomy , central nervous system , endocrinology , growth factor , immunology , medicine , biochemistry , receptor , gene
Abstract The enteric nervous system consists of a number of interconnected networks of neuronal cell bodies and fibers as well as satellite cells, the enteric glia. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a mitogen for a variety of mesodermal and neuroectodermal‐derived cells and its presence has been described in many tissues. The present work employs immunohistochemistry to analyze neurons and glial cells in the esophageal and colic enteric plexus of the Wistar rat for neurofilament (NF) and glial fibrillary acidic proteins (GFAP) immunoreactivity as well as bFGF immunoreactivity in these cells. Rats were processed for immunohistochemistry; the distal esophagus and colon were opened and their myenteric plexuses were processed as whole‐mount preparations. The membranes were immunostained for visualization of NF, GFAP, and bFGF. NF immunoreactivity was seen in neuronal cell bodies of esophageal and colic enteric ganglia. GFAP‐immunoreactive enteric glial cells and processes were present in the esophageal and colic enteric plexuses surrounding neuronal cell bodies and axons. A dense net of GFAP‐immunoreactive processes was seen in the ganglia and connecting strands of the myenteric plexus. bFGF immunoreactivity was observed in the cytoplasm of the majority of the neurons in the enteric ganglia of esophagus and colon. The two‐color immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence methods revealed bFGF immunoreactivity also in the nucleus of GFAP‐positive enteric glial cells. The results suggest that immunohistochemical localization of NF and GFAP may be an important tool in the study of the plasticity in the enteric nervous system. The presence of bFGF in neurons and glia of the myenteric plexus of the esophagus and the colon indicates that this neurotrophic factor may exert autocrine and paracrine actions in the enteric nervous system. J. Morphol. 261:323–333, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.