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Morphology and distribution of intrinsic adrenergic neurones in the proximal colon of the guinea-pig

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Summary

The fluorescence histochemical method has been used to examine the adrenergic innervation of the proximal colon of the guinea-pig. Previous investigations have shown that the adrenergic fibres of the gastrointestinal tract arise from extrinsic ganglia. However, in this work it is shown that adrenergic nerve cells are found in the myenteric plexus of the proximal colon and that these cells provide varicose terminals about ganglion cells in the nodes of the plexus. About 75% of the nodes of the myenteric plexus in the proximal colon contain adrenergic cells. A few cells are also observed along the internodal strands. The cells have a cytoplasmic fluorescence, which is of different intensity in different cells, but there is no fluorescence of the nucleus. Processes can be traced from most cells and in some cases these are seen to become varicose. Interruption of extrinsic nerve pathways to the intestine causes a disappearance of the fluorescence reaction of the adrenergic terminals in the ileum, most of the distal colon and in the submucosal and perivascular plexuses of the proximal colon. In contrast, about 60% of the adrenergic terminals in the myenteric plexus of the proximal colon survive extrinsic denervation. From cell counts, it is estimated there are about 10000 adrenergic cells in the proximal colon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    J. B. Furness & M. Costa

  2. Department of Physiology, Medical School, Birmingham University, 15, Birmingham, UK

    J. B. Furness

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  1. J. B. Furness
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  2. M. Costa
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This work was supported by grants from the Australian Research Grants Committee and the National Health and Medical Research Council. We thank Prof. G. Burnstock for his support and for his critical reading of the manuscript. We also thank Dr. R. O. Jones for his comments on the manuscript.

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Furness, J.B., Costa, M. Morphology and distribution of intrinsic adrenergic neurones in the proximal colon of the guinea-pig. Z. Zellforsch. 120, 346–363 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324897

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