Noradrenergic nerves were studied in whole-mount preparations of the rat, mouse and guinea pig tr... more Noradrenergic nerves were studied in whole-mount preparations of the rat, mouse and guinea pig trachea by means of glyoxylic acid-induced catecholamine fluorescence and dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactivity. In an effort to raise tissue levels of catecholamines, some specimens were also treated with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline, and with L-DOPA, a precursor of noradrenaline. Noradrenergic nerve fibres were detected around blood vessels, within the tracheal smooth muscle and in the mucosa, but never around or in the proximity of neurons of the tracheal ganglia, even after amine precursor loading. These parasympathetic ganglion cells did not show catecholamine fluorescence under control conditions. In the rat and mouse, but not in the guinea pig, some tracheal neurones were dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive and showed uptake and metabolism of amine precursors, thus expressing aspects of the catecholaminergic phenotype.
We have studied the layers of the muscular coat of the guinea-pig small intestine after enzymatic... more We have studied the layers of the muscular coat of the guinea-pig small intestine after enzymatic and chemical removal of extracellular connective tissue. The cells of the longitudinal muscle layer are wider, have rougher surfaces, more finger-like processes and more complex terminations, but fewer intercellular junctions than cells in the circular muscle layer. A special layer of wide, flat cells with a dense innervation exists at the inner margin of the circular muscle layer, facing the submucosa. The ganglia of the myenteric and submucosal plexuses are covered by a smooth basal lamina, a delicate feltwork of collagen fibrils, and innumerable connective tissue cells. The neuronal and glial cell processes at the surface of ganglia form an interlocking mosaic, which is loosely packed in newborn and young animals, but becomes tightly packed in adults. The arrangement of glial cells becomes progressively looser along finer nerve bundles. Single varicose nerve fibres are rarely exposed, but multiaxonal bundles are common. Fibroblast-like cells of characteristic shape and orientation are found in the serosa; around nerve ganglia; in the intermuscular connective tissue layer and in the circular muscle, where they bridge nerve bundles and muscle cells; at the submucosal face of the special, flattened inner circular muscle layer; and in the submucosa. Some of these fibroblast-like cells correspond to interstitial cells of Cajal. Other structures readily visualized by scanning electron microscopy are blood and lymphatic vessels and their periendothelial cells. The relationship of cellular elements to connective tissue was studied with three different preparative procedures: (1) freeze-cracked specimens of intact, undigested intestine; (2) 'stretch preparations' of longitudinal muscle with adhering myenteric plexus; (3) sheets of submucosal collagen bundles from which all cellular elements had been removed by prolonged detergent extraction.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Sep 13, 1994
Substance P (SP) can cause plasma leakage at sites of inflammation by binding to neurokinin type ... more Substance P (SP) can cause plasma leakage at sites of inflammation by binding to neurokinin type 1 (NK_1) receptors on the surface of endothelial cells. Internalization after ligand binding could reduce the number of NK_1 receptors on the cell surface and thus participate in the desensitization and resensitization of the inflammatory response to SP. By using an antibody to the receptor, we directly observed SP-induced internalization of NK_1 receptors into endosomes in endothelial cells of postcapillary venules in the rat tracheal mucosa. In the absence of SP, an average of 15 immunoreactive endosomes were present per endothelial cell. After an intravenous injection of SP, the number of immunoreactive endosomes peaked at 107 per cell at 3 min and gradually returned to the baseline by 120 min. In parallel experiments we observed that when cultured cells transfected with the NK_1 receptor were exposed to rhodamine-SP and an antibody to an extracellular Flag epitope of the NK_1 receptor, the SP was internalized with the receptor antibody. Both in the cultured cells and in the endothelial cells of intact animals, the prompt SP-induced internalization was accompanied by rapid, long-lasting desensitization to SP. These studies suggest that internalization of NK_1 receptors by endothelial cells may be one of the mechanisms that limit the amount of plasma leakage at sites of inflammation.
American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Dec 1, 1996
Plasma leakage in inflammation results from intercellular gaps that form in the endothelium of ve... more Plasma leakage in inflammation results from intercellular gaps that form in the endothelium of venules. These gaps and related morphological changes in endothelial cells are not readily seen by light microscopy. In this study we sought to visualize such changes by using the selective binding properties of plant lectins. Acute inflammation was induced in the trachea of pathogen-free F344 rats by injecting substance P intravenously, and 1, 3, or 10 min later the vasculature was perfused with fixative followed by a biotinylated lectin. Lectin binding was localized by avidinbiotin complex-peroxidase histochemistry and viewed in tracheal whole mounts by differential-interference contrast microscopy. The binding patterns of the 20 lectins tested fell into 4 groups. Most of the lectins either bound uniformly to the endothelium of normal and inflamed venules (group 1, e.g., Lycopersicon esculentum lectin) or bound weakly or not at all to venules (group 2, e.g., Maackia amurensis I lectin). The uniform binding of group 1 lectins not only revealed the overall vascular architecture but also made visible intercellular gaps and fingerlike processes at endothelial cell borders in inflamed venules. In postcapillary venules after substance P, the fingerlike processes were present along an average of 32% of the endothelial cell perimeter at 1 min, 25% at 3 min, and 7% at 10 min, compared with a baseline value of 2%. A third group of lectins (group 3, e.g., concanavalin A) bound selectively to focal patches of inflamed venules but bound weakly to normal venules. The fourth group (group 4, e.g., Ricinus communis I lectin) bound preferentially to focal patches in inflamed venules and also bound uniformly to normal venules. The focal binding of group 3 and 4 lectins coincided with sites of plasma leakage marked by extravasation of the particulate tracer monastral blue and was associated with subendothelial components of the vessel wall. We conclude that selected lectins reveal novel features of focal sites of plasma leakage, endothelial gaps, and fingerlike processes at endothelial cell borders in inflamed venules.
American Journal of Physiology Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Apr 1, 1994
beta 2-Adrenergic receptor agonists inhibit the increase in vascular permeability produced by a v... more beta 2-Adrenergic receptor agonists inhibit the increase in vascular permeability produced by a variety of inflammatory mediators. The anti-edema effect of beta 2-agonists is assumed to result from a direct action on endothelial cells, but such a mechanism has not been demonstrated in vivo. The aim of this study was to determine whether beta 2-agonists exert their anti-edema effect by inhibiting the formation of endothelial gaps at sites of plasma leakage. Vascular permeability in the rat trachea was increased by electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve or by intravenous injection of substance P (5 micrograms/kg iv). Plasma leakage was quantified by using Monastral blue and Evans blue as tracers. Endothelial gaps were made visible for light microscopy by staining the borders of endothelial cells with silver nitrate. The experiments showed that the selective beta 2-agonist formoterol, which is known to have anti-edema effects, reduced the plasma leakage produced by either stimulus. The effect was dose dependent, with a formoterol dose of 10 micrograms/kg iv producing maximal reduction of Monastral blue leakage (64 +/- 14%). The amounts of extravasation of Monastral blue and Evans blue were closely correlated (r2 = 0.76, P < 0.01). After the injection of substance P, there were 15.3 +/- 1.0 gaps/endothelial cells in postcapillary venules of vehicle-pretreated rats, but only 5.0 +/- 0.2 gaps/cell in formoterol-pretreated (10 micrograms/kg iv) rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Noradrenergic nerves were studied in whole-mount preparations of the rat, mouse and guinea pig tr... more Noradrenergic nerves were studied in whole-mount preparations of the rat, mouse and guinea pig trachea by means of glyoxylic acid-induced catecholamine fluorescence and dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactivity. In an effort to raise tissue levels of catecholamines, some specimens were also treated with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline, and with L-DOPA, a precursor of noradrenaline. Noradrenergic nerve fibres were detected around blood vessels, within the tracheal smooth muscle and in the mucosa, but never around or in the proximity of neurons of the tracheal ganglia, even after amine precursor loading. These parasympathetic ganglion cells did not show catecholamine fluorescence under control conditions. In the rat and mouse, but not in the guinea pig, some tracheal neurones were dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive and showed uptake and metabolism of amine precursors, thus expressing aspects of the catecholaminergic phenotype.
We have studied the layers of the muscular coat of the guinea-pig small intestine after enzymatic... more We have studied the layers of the muscular coat of the guinea-pig small intestine after enzymatic and chemical removal of extracellular connective tissue. The cells of the longitudinal muscle layer are wider, have rougher surfaces, more finger-like processes and more complex terminations, but fewer intercellular junctions than cells in the circular muscle layer. A special layer of wide, flat cells with a dense innervation exists at the inner margin of the circular muscle layer, facing the submucosa. The ganglia of the myenteric and submucosal plexuses are covered by a smooth basal lamina, a delicate feltwork of collagen fibrils, and innumerable connective tissue cells. The neuronal and glial cell processes at the surface of ganglia form an interlocking mosaic, which is loosely packed in newborn and young animals, but becomes tightly packed in adults. The arrangement of glial cells becomes progressively looser along finer nerve bundles. Single varicose nerve fibres are rarely exposed, but multiaxonal bundles are common. Fibroblast-like cells of characteristic shape and orientation are found in the serosa; around nerve ganglia; in the intermuscular connective tissue layer and in the circular muscle, where they bridge nerve bundles and muscle cells; at the submucosal face of the special, flattened inner circular muscle layer; and in the submucosa. Some of these fibroblast-like cells correspond to interstitial cells of Cajal. Other structures readily visualized by scanning electron microscopy are blood and lymphatic vessels and their periendothelial cells. The relationship of cellular elements to connective tissue was studied with three different preparative procedures: (1) freeze-cracked specimens of intact, undigested intestine; (2) 'stretch preparations' of longitudinal muscle with adhering myenteric plexus; (3) sheets of submucosal collagen bundles from which all cellular elements had been removed by prolonged detergent extraction.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Sep 13, 1994
Substance P (SP) can cause plasma leakage at sites of inflammation by binding to neurokinin type ... more Substance P (SP) can cause plasma leakage at sites of inflammation by binding to neurokinin type 1 (NK_1) receptors on the surface of endothelial cells. Internalization after ligand binding could reduce the number of NK_1 receptors on the cell surface and thus participate in the desensitization and resensitization of the inflammatory response to SP. By using an antibody to the receptor, we directly observed SP-induced internalization of NK_1 receptors into endosomes in endothelial cells of postcapillary venules in the rat tracheal mucosa. In the absence of SP, an average of 15 immunoreactive endosomes were present per endothelial cell. After an intravenous injection of SP, the number of immunoreactive endosomes peaked at 107 per cell at 3 min and gradually returned to the baseline by 120 min. In parallel experiments we observed that when cultured cells transfected with the NK_1 receptor were exposed to rhodamine-SP and an antibody to an extracellular Flag epitope of the NK_1 receptor, the SP was internalized with the receptor antibody. Both in the cultured cells and in the endothelial cells of intact animals, the prompt SP-induced internalization was accompanied by rapid, long-lasting desensitization to SP. These studies suggest that internalization of NK_1 receptors by endothelial cells may be one of the mechanisms that limit the amount of plasma leakage at sites of inflammation.
American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Dec 1, 1996
Plasma leakage in inflammation results from intercellular gaps that form in the endothelium of ve... more Plasma leakage in inflammation results from intercellular gaps that form in the endothelium of venules. These gaps and related morphological changes in endothelial cells are not readily seen by light microscopy. In this study we sought to visualize such changes by using the selective binding properties of plant lectins. Acute inflammation was induced in the trachea of pathogen-free F344 rats by injecting substance P intravenously, and 1, 3, or 10 min later the vasculature was perfused with fixative followed by a biotinylated lectin. Lectin binding was localized by avidinbiotin complex-peroxidase histochemistry and viewed in tracheal whole mounts by differential-interference contrast microscopy. The binding patterns of the 20 lectins tested fell into 4 groups. Most of the lectins either bound uniformly to the endothelium of normal and inflamed venules (group 1, e.g., Lycopersicon esculentum lectin) or bound weakly or not at all to venules (group 2, e.g., Maackia amurensis I lectin). The uniform binding of group 1 lectins not only revealed the overall vascular architecture but also made visible intercellular gaps and fingerlike processes at endothelial cell borders in inflamed venules. In postcapillary venules after substance P, the fingerlike processes were present along an average of 32% of the endothelial cell perimeter at 1 min, 25% at 3 min, and 7% at 10 min, compared with a baseline value of 2%. A third group of lectins (group 3, e.g., concanavalin A) bound selectively to focal patches of inflamed venules but bound weakly to normal venules. The fourth group (group 4, e.g., Ricinus communis I lectin) bound preferentially to focal patches in inflamed venules and also bound uniformly to normal venules. The focal binding of group 3 and 4 lectins coincided with sites of plasma leakage marked by extravasation of the particulate tracer monastral blue and was associated with subendothelial components of the vessel wall. We conclude that selected lectins reveal novel features of focal sites of plasma leakage, endothelial gaps, and fingerlike processes at endothelial cell borders in inflamed venules.
American Journal of Physiology Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Apr 1, 1994
beta 2-Adrenergic receptor agonists inhibit the increase in vascular permeability produced by a v... more beta 2-Adrenergic receptor agonists inhibit the increase in vascular permeability produced by a variety of inflammatory mediators. The anti-edema effect of beta 2-agonists is assumed to result from a direct action on endothelial cells, but such a mechanism has not been demonstrated in vivo. The aim of this study was to determine whether beta 2-agonists exert their anti-edema effect by inhibiting the formation of endothelial gaps at sites of plasma leakage. Vascular permeability in the rat trachea was increased by electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve or by intravenous injection of substance P (5 micrograms/kg iv). Plasma leakage was quantified by using Monastral blue and Evans blue as tracers. Endothelial gaps were made visible for light microscopy by staining the borders of endothelial cells with silver nitrate. The experiments showed that the selective beta 2-agonist formoterol, which is known to have anti-edema effects, reduced the plasma leakage produced by either stimulus. The effect was dose dependent, with a formoterol dose of 10 micrograms/kg iv producing maximal reduction of Monastral blue leakage (64 +/- 14%). The amounts of extravasation of Monastral blue and Evans blue were closely correlated (r2 = 0.76, P < 0.01). After the injection of substance P, there were 15.3 +/- 1.0 gaps/endothelial cells in postcapillary venules of vehicle-pretreated rats, but only 5.0 +/- 0.2 gaps/cell in formoterol-pretreated (10 micrograms/kg iv) rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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