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New insights into the nerve end organ of human skin
Author(s) -
Reinisch C. M.,
Weninger W.,
Mayer C.,
Paiha K.,
Lassmann H.,
Tschachler E.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1111/j.0906-6705.2004.0212aw.x
Subject(s) - immunostaining , dermis , anatomy , human skin , pathology , nervous system , free nerve ending , ultrastructure , biology , immunohistochemistry , medicine , neuroscience , genetics
Bearing the sensory nerve end organ, the skin establishes contact to our environment. So far, the analysis of the cutaneous nervous system was dependent on the use of tissue serial sections. Because such samples inherently allow visualization of only a small part of the mainly horizontally oriented nervous system of the skin, we searched for possibilities enabling a more comprehensive view. Here, we present a method based on the immunostaining of dermal sheet preparations for subsequent analysis by electron microscopy and light, or laser scanning microscopy. We used antibodies against PgP9.5 and NCAM/CD56, both showing a regular network of fibers covering the entire superficial dermis. The bulk of free ending nerve fibers ramified within 25 µm of the dermo–epidermal junction, whereas below that only larger nerve bundles were present. Along the course of nerve fibers, we observed NCAM/CD56 + protrusions with diameters ranging from 5 to 15 µm. We further characterized these protrusions demonstrating the ultrastructural features of terminal non‐myelinating Schwann cells ensheathing nerve fibres. Depending on the body region, we detected between 140 and over 300 individual terminal Schwann cells/mm 2 skin surface. In a double staining for NCAM/CD56 and vWF, we analyzed the topographical relationship of the nerve end organ to the blood vessels of the skin. In conclusion, this novel method allows for the first time a complex three‐dimensional depiction of the cutaneous nervous system over several cm 2 . Additionally, terminal Schwann cells can be studied in detail in situ for the first time. Furthermore, application of this method may provide new impetus in the investigation of the cutaneous nerve end organ under physiological and pathological conditions.