Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Peribronchial Microparaganglia

Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Peribronchial Microparaganglia 

In human airway intrinsic ganglia, the number of NOS-containing neuronal cell bodies increased from 57 % in the trachea up to 83 % in small bronchi (Fischer and Hoffmann 1996). Around these perikarya, many nerve fibres displaying VlP-immu-noreactivity or substance P-immunoreactivity were found. 

In the ferret trachea, anterograde tracers (either rhodamine- or biotin-labelled dextran amines) were found in nerve fibres that formed basketlike complexes associated with neurones of the longitudinal trunk and the superficial muscular plexus gangha and were observed in the nerve fibres of smooth muscle and tracheal plexus (Zhu and Dey 2001). Some VIP or nNOS positive neurones in the superficial muscular plexus ganglia contained retrogradely transported tracer. 

In the lungs of the salamanders, Cynops pyrrho-gaster and Ambystoma mexicanum, Adriaensen et al. (1993) described NOS-like immunoreactivity in dispersed nerve cells in a plexus composed of thick nerve bundles and in a delicate nerve netwerk made up of fine varicose nerve fibres. There was evidence that at least part of these varicose fibres originated fi om NOS-containing nerve cells in intrapulmonary ganglia. 

---