beta 2-adrenoreceptor immunoreactivity in cardiac ganglia of the guinea pig

Chemical phenotypes of intrinsic cardiac neurons in the newborn pig (Sus scrofa domesticus Erxleben, 1777)

Intrinsic cardiac neurons (ICNs) are crucial cells in the neural regulation of heart rhythm, myocardial contractility, and coronary blood flow. ICNs exhibit diversity in their morphology and neurotransmitters that probably are age-dependent. Therefore, neuroanatomical heart studies have been currently focused on the identification of chemical phenotypes of ICNs to disclose their possible functions in heart neural regulation. Employing whole-mount immunohistochemistry, we examined ICNs from atria of the newborn pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) as ICNs at this stage of development have never been neurochemically characterized so far. We found that the majority of the examined ICNs (>60%) were of cholinergic phenotype. Biphenotypic neuronal somata (NS), that is, simultaneously positive for two neuronal markers, were also rather common and distributed evenly within the sampled ganglia. Simultaneous positivity for cholinergic and adrenergic neuromarkers was specific in 16.4%, for cholinergic and nitrergic-in 3.5% of the examined NS. Purely either adrenergic or nitrergic ICNs were observed at 13% and 3.1%, correspondingly. Purely adrenergic and nitrergic NS were the most frequent in the ventral left atrial subplexus. Similarly to neuronal phenotype, sizes of NS also varied depending on the atrial region providing insights into their functional implications. Axons, but not NS, positive for classic sensory neuronal markers (vesicular glutamate transporter 2 and calcitonin gene-related peptide) were identified within epicardiac nerves and ganglia. Moreover, a substantial number of ICNs could not be attributed to any phenotype as they were not immunoreactive for antisera used in this study. Numerous dendrites with putative peptidergic and adrenergic contacts on cholinergic NS contributed to neuropil of ganglia. Our observations demonstrate that intrinsic cardiac ganglionated plexus is not fully developed in the newborn pig despite of dense network of neuronal processes and numerous signs of neural contacts within ganglia.

Expression of Cutaneous Beta-2 Adrenoceptors Is Similar in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Pain-Free Controls

OBJECTIVE

Studies in rodents suggest that cutaneous beta-2 adrenoceptors (β2-ARs) mediate inflammation and pain after tissue injury and that inflammation and peripheral nerve injury trigger increases in neuronal β2-AR expression. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of β2-ARs on keratinocytes and dermal nerves in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS

Fifty-eight patients with CRPS were recruited for this study. In addition, skin biopsies were obtained from 13 pain-free women and three pain-free men of similar age and sex distribution as the patients.

METHODS

Quantitative sensory tests for assessing sensitivity to pressure, pinprick, light touch, heat, and cold were administered, and skin biopsies were obtained from the affected and contralateral limbs. Skin biopsies were also obtained from a similar site on the dorsal hand or foot of pain-free controls. Immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were used to identify β2-ARs on keratinocytes, dermal nerves, and blood vessels in the skin samples.

RESULTS

The distribution of β2-ARs in keratinocytes and nerves was similar in the affected and contralateral limbs of patients and was similar for target cells in patients and controls. However, elevated β2-AR expression in reticular nerve bundles was associated with heightened sensitivity to heat pain.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings do not support a major role of cutaneous β2-ARs in CRPS. However, activation of neuronal β2-ARs may contribute to thermal hyperalgesia in a subgroup of patients. Whether activation of β2-ARs on keratinocytes mediates inflammation early in the course of CRPS requires further investigation.

Monoamine- and histamine-synthesizing enzymes and neurotransmitters within neurons of adult human cardiac ganglia

BACKGROUND

Cardiac ganglia were originally thought to contain only cholinergic neurons relaying parasympathetic information from preganglionic brain stem neurons to the heart. Accumulating evidence, however, suggests that cardiac ganglia contain a heterogeneous population of neurons that synthesize or respond to several different neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Reports regarding monoamine and histamine synthesis and neurotransmission within cardiac ganglia, however, present conflicting information or are limited in number. Furthermore, very few studies have examined the neurochemistry of adult human cardiac ganglia. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to determine whether monoamine- and histamine-synthesizing enzymes and neurotransmitters exist within neurons of adult human cardiac ganglia.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Human heart tissue containing cardiac ganglia was obtained during autopsies of patients without cardiovascular pathology. Avidin-biotin complex immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate tyrosine hydroxylase, L-dopa decarboxylase, dopamine beta-hydroxylase, phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, tryptophan hydroxylase, and histidine decarboxylase immunoreactivity within neurons of cardiac ganglia. Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and histamine immunoreactivity was also found in ganglionic neurons. Omission or preadsorption of primary antibodies from the antisera and subsequent incubation with cardiac ganglia abolished specific staining in all cases examined.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that neurons within cardiac ganglia contain enzymes involved in the synthesis of monoamines and histamine and that they contain dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and histamine immunoreactivity. Our findings suggest a putative role for monoamine and histamine neurotransmission within adult human cardiac ganglia. Additional, functional evidence will be necessary to evaluate what the physiological role of monoamines and histamine may be in neural control of the adult human heart.

Rat cardiac neurons express the non-coding R-exon (exon 1) of the cholinergic gene locus

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) are both encoded by the cholinergic gene locus from which, in the rat, five different species of ChAT mRNA and three different species of VAChT mRNA are produced. So far, discrimination between mRNA subtypes has been possible only in CNS homogenates or in cell cultures. In this study, cardiac neurons were microdissected from frozen sections of rat heart using a u.v. laser and harvested using a micromanipulator. RT-PCR demonstrated the expression of the non-coding R-exon and splicing to R1-type mRNA in the majority of cardiac neurons. The technique presented here is the first to allow subtype analysis of cholinergic locus mRNA species in neurons in situ.

Spatial distribution of nerve processes and beta-adrenoreceptors in the rat atrioventricular node

Atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction time is known to be modulated by the autonomic nervous system. The presence of numerous parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve fibres in association with conduction tissue in the heart is well authenticated. In this study, confocal microscopy was used to image the distribution of antibodies directed against the general neuronal marker PGP 9.5, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and beta1 and beta2-adrenoreceptors. Serial 12 microm sections of fresh frozen tissue taken from the frontal plane of the rat atrioventricular node, His bundle and bundle branches were processed for histology, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and immunohistochemistry. It was found that the AV and ventricular conduction systems were more densely innervated than the atrial and ventricular myocardium as revealed by PGP 9.5 immunoreactivity. Furthermore, the transitional cell region was more densely innervated than the midnodal cell region, while spatial distribution of total innervation was uniform throughout all AV nodal regions. AChE-reactive nerve processes were found throughout the AV and ventricular conduction systems, the spatial distribution of which was nonuniform exhibiting a paucity of AChE-reactive nerve processes in the central midnodal cell region and a preponderance in the circumferential transitional cell region. TH-immunoreactivity was uniformly distributed throughout the AV and ventricular conduction systems including the central midnodal and circumferential transitional cell regions. Beta1-adrenoreceptors were found throughout the AV and ventricular conduction systems with a preponderance in the circumferential transitional cell region. Beta2-adrenoreceptors were localised predominantly in AV and ventricular conduction systems with a paucity of expression in the circumferential transitional cell region. These results demonstrate that the overall uniform distribution of total nerve processes is comprised of nonuniformly distributed subpopulations of parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve processes. The observation that the midnodal cell region exhibits a differential spatial pattern of parasympathetic and sympathetic innervation suggests multiple sites for modulation of impulse conduction within this region. Moreover, the localisation of beta2-ARs in the AV conduction system, with an absence of expression in the circumferential transitional cell layer, suggests that subtype-specific pharmacological agents may have distinct effects upon AV nodal conduction.