Prodynorphin immunoreactivity is located in different neurons than proenkephalin immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex of rats.

Reported here is a description of the distribution and cellular morphology of neurons containing dynorphin B immunoreactivity (IR) and a comparison with cells containing bovine adrenal medullary peptide IR in the cerebral cortex of colchicine treated rats. Dynorphin B-IR was found in bipolar and multipolar cells in neocortical layers II-III and V-VI and in pyramidal and polymorph cells in olfactory cortical layers II and III. In the hippocampus, dynorphin B-IR was found in dentate granule cells and multipolar cells. In Fisher rats, dynorphin B was also found in cells in the subiculum and in CA1. The extensive regional overlap in the distribution of cortical neurons containing prodynorphin and proenkephalin in IR prompted a detailed comparison of their localization. In double immunostained tissue, dynorphin B-IR was demonstrated to occur in different neurons than those containing BAM22P-IR in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats.