Histochemical mapping of NADPH diaphorase in the nervous system of the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum.

NADPH diaphorase has recently been discovered to be responsible for neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity in mammals. It thus serves as a histochemical marker for the localization of NO synthase in the nervous system. The histochemical technique was used to map out potential NO-producing neurones in the nervous system of the parasitic nematode, Ascaris suum. Positive staining for NADPH diaphorase was present in various parts of the central nervous system, in particular within selective cell bodies and fibres in the ventral ganglion, the retrovesicular ganglion, ventral and dorsal cords and sublateral lines. Intense staining was also present in the motorneurone commissures, indicating a potential role for NO as a neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction. NADPH disphorase-positive neurones were not confined to the central nervous system. Selective staining was also present in the enteric nervous system, in particular the pharynx and in the peripheral nervous system innervating the sensory organs.