Weihe E, Müller S, Fink T, Zentel H J
Department of Anatomy, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, F.R.G.
Neurosci Lett. 1989 May 22;100(1-3):77-82. doi: 10.1016/0304-3940(89)90663-0.
By the use of light microscopic (LM) immunohistochemistry the distribution of tachykinin (TK)-, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)- and neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like immunoreactivity in nerves supplying the mammalian (rat, mouse, guinea-pig, cat) thymus gland has been determined. There were no interspecies variations. Fibres staining for TK and CGRP completely overlapped indicating coexistence. They were present in the capsule, in interlobular septa and in the corticomedullary boundary and occurred in perivascular and paravascular plexus supplying arteries, veins and the microvasculature. Some TK/CGRP-immunoreactive (ir) fibres travelled between lymphoid cells and close contacts with mast cells were frequent. NPY-ir fibres were different from those staining for TK/CGRP and predominated in the perivascular plexus of arterial blood vessels. Only very rarely they coursed in the lymphoid parenchyma. Intimate contacts of NPY-ir fibres with mast cells were less frequent than those of TK/CGRP-ir fibres. We conclude that the NPY innervation is mainly sympathetic noradrenergic while thymic nerves coding for TK and CGRP are most likely of sensory origin. These pathways may play a differential neuroimmunomodulatory role in the thymus, possibly via interaction with mast cells.
通过光学显微镜免疫组织化学方法，已确定了在供应哺乳动物（大鼠、小鼠、豚鼠、猫）胸腺的神经中速激肽（TK）、降钙素基因相关肽（CGRP）和神经肽Y（NPY）样免疫反应性的分布。不存在种间差异。TK和CGRP染色的纤维完全重叠，表明共存。它们存在于被膜、小叶间隔和皮质髓质边界，出现在供应动脉、静脉和微血管的血管周围和血管旁丛中。一些TK/CGRP免疫反应性（ir）纤维在淋巴细胞之间穿行，并且经常与肥大细胞紧密接触。NPY-ir纤维与TK/CGRP染色的纤维不同，在动脉血管的血管周围丛中占主导地位。它们很少在淋巴组织实质中走行。NPY-ir纤维与肥大细胞的紧密接触比TK/CGRP-ir纤维少。我们得出结论，NPY神经支配主要是交感去甲肾上腺素能的，而编码TK和CGRP的胸腺神经很可能起源于感觉神经。这些途径可能在胸腺中发挥不同的神经免疫调节作用，可能是通过与肥大细胞相互作用实现的。
