Distribution of substance P-containing and catecholaminergic nerve fibers in the rabbit carotid body: an immunohistochemical study in combination with catecholamine fluorescent histochemistry.

The distribution of substance P (SP)-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the rabbit carotid body was studied in combination with catecholamine autofluorescence images of sections where SP immunoreactivity was confirmed. Immunoreactivity for SP was found in nerve fibers distributed in the parenchyma of the carotid body. No glomus cells with SP immunoreactivity were observed in the carotid body. On comparing the distribution of SP-immunoreactive fibers with the catecholamine autofluorescence image in a single section, most SP fibers appeared associated with the fluorescent glomus cells, and were located around clusters of them. These results support the suggestion that SP fibers in the cat and rat carotid bodies are involved in chemosensory mechanisms. Furthermore, a survey of the present results and previous ones reported by other workers indicates that SP may be an essential neuropeptide in chemoreceptor organs in most vertebrates from amphibians on upwards evolutionally. In addition, the courses of some catecholaminergic fibers precisely agreed with those of some SP fibers. This suggests that certain sympathetic nerve fibers also contain SP.